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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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COTTON 

CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

IN  WHICH  IS  GIVEN  A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 

Manner  of  Picking,  Baling,  Marketing,  Opening  and 
Carding  Cotton. 

TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED  A  LIST  OP 

Valuable  Tables,  Rules  and  Eeceipts, 
By  FOSTER   WILSON,  LoweU,  Mass. 

"Not  slothful  in  business ;  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord." — RoM.  Xll:  11. 

"  A  blessing  now, — a  curse  no  more, 

Since  He  whose  name  we  breathe  with  awe, 
The  coarse  mechanic  vesture  wore, — 
A  poor  man  toiling  with  the  poor. 

In  labor  as  in  prayer,  fulfilling  the  same  law," 

— Whittier. 


LOWELL,  MASS.: 

STONE,  HUSE  &  CO.,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTERS,  No.  130  CENTRAL  ST. 
1876. 

LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  author  makes  his  lowest  bow  to  his  patrons  as  he  intro- 
duces the  Cotton  Cardeks'  CoMPANioisr.  Many  works  have, 
been  written  on  cotton  manufacturing — written  mostly  by  gentle- 
men and  scholars.  The  author  has  read  them  with  great  profit, 
and  yet  he  has  many  times  felt  the  need  of  just  such  a  work  as 
this.  His  work  is  not  designed  to  take  the  place  of  any  that  have 
preceded  it,  but  is  a  sort  of  little  particular  supplement.  Most 
works  on  this  subject  take  in  the  whole  of  manufacturing.  This 
only  carding.  Many  deal  largely  in  theories.  This  in  practice. 
Some  are  general.  This  is  particular.  This  little  work  will  come 
to  the  notice  of  the  learned,  as  well  as  laboring  men.  The  former 
will  please  bear  in  mind  that  the  writer  of  it  is  himself  a  labor- 
ing man;  and  that  it  is  designed  particularly  to  aid  his  own  class 
in  the  successful  prosecution  of  their  vocation ;  though  it  contains 
some  ideas  worthy  the  notice  of  any  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  goods.  And  though  the  style  is  simple,  he  trusts  the 
matter  may  be  profitable.  If  a  book  is  good,  it  does  not  need  a 
long  preface.  If  it  is  dry,  a  long  preface  only  makes  it  drier. 
Very  respectfully, 

FOSTER  WILSON. 


I  N  DEX. 

CHAPTEK  I. 

PAGE 

Cotton,  and  the  Machinery  used  in  its  Manufacture,  ....  5 

CHAPTER    II. 

Opening,  or  Picking,  Cotton, .  13 

CHAPTER  III. 

Carding, 34 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Drawing, 76 

CHAPTER  y. 

Speeders, 96 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Miscellany, 119 

PARTICULAR  INDEX. 

Re-working  Waste, 17 

Grinding, 38 

Amount  of  Work  for  a  Card, 48 

Stripping  Cards, 55 

Screens, 59 

Laying  Drawing  in  Railway  Boxes, 79 

Regulating  Tension, , 100 

Progressive  Doublings  and  Drawing, 109 

Lowell  Speeder  Tables, 114 

Hank  Table, 119 

Twist  Table, .     .  124 

Hygrometer  Table, 132 

Belt  Table, 140 

Perpetual  Calendar, 142 

Weights  of  Various  Articles, 149 

Receipts, 150 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876,  by 

FOSTER   WILSON, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Cotton,  and  the  Machinery  used  in  its  Manufacture. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  —  COTTON  —  WHAT  IS  IN  IT  —  HOW  IT  GETS 
THERE  —  A  carder's  BUSINESS  —  PICKING  COTTON  —  DRY- 
ING COTTON — GINNING  COTTON  —  BALING  COTTON  —  TRANS- 
PORTING COTTON  —  AFFECTED  BY  THE  ATMOSPHERE  AND 
ELECTRICITY  —  MACHINERY  AND  IMPROVEMENTS  —  WHAT 
IT  SHOULD  BE,  AND  HOW  KEPT  SO. 

In  a  work  of  this  kind  it  seems  appropriate  to 
begin  at  the  bottom.  When  a  physician  is  called 
to  a  sick  man,  the  first  thing  he  does  is  to  find  out 
the  nature  of  the  disease,  so  that  he  may  be  able 
to  treat  it  successfully.  When  we  are  about  tak- 
ing a  journey  to  a  distant  place,  we  first  acquaint 
ourselves  with  the  condition  of  the  road  that  leads 
there,  that  we  may  know  what  kind  of  convey- 
ance is  best  adapted  to  it.  If  we  have  a  material 
to  work  upon,  it  is  well  to  inform  ourselves  as  to 
its  nature  and  general  character,  that  we  may  pro- 
vide ourselves  with  the  proper  implements.  If  the 
material  is  cotton  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  find 
out  what  cotton  is,  what  is  its  condition,  how  it 
came  to  be  in  such  a  condition,  and  what  is  neces- 
sary to  work  such  changes  as  we  desire. 

We  find  cotton  to  be  the  fibre  of  a  plant ; 
and  if  there  was  nothing  else  but  'good,  nice, 
straight  fibre,  we  should  find  it  comparatively 
easy  to  convert  it  into  yarn  and  cloth.  But 
unfortunately  for  us,  good  long,  straight  fibre  is 
mixed  up  with  other  things,  and  such  other  things 
as  we  do  not  want,  and  must  be  rid  of  in  order 
to  utilize  the  fibre.  Cotton  as  it  comes  to  us  has 
dead  leaf,  sand,  seeds,  blights,  and  what  we  call 


6  WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

nits  and  gins,  and  the  fibre  is  considerably  curled 
up.  The  business  of  a  cotton  carder  is  to  rid  it 
of  all  extraneous  matter,  lay  the  fibres  parallel, 
and  form  them  into  a  thread  called  roving. 

It  may  be  interesting  and  profitable  to  examine 
into  the  causes  of  so  much  foreign  matter  being 
mixed  up  with  the  fibre  of  cotton  ;  and  to  do  this 
we  must  take  a  look  at  it  in  the  field  where  it 
grows,  watch  the  process  and  progress  of  picking, 
preparing  for  market  and  its  transportation. 

Cotton  grows  in  what  it  would  be  natural  for 
us  to  call  pods,  but  the  planters  call  them  bolls. 
When  it  is  ripe  the  bolls  open  ;  the  fibre  is  curled 
up  round  the  seed.  This  is  a  provision  of  nature 
for  its  own  propagation.  But  at  this  point  art  lays 
hold  of  it  and  appropriates  it.  The  bolls  begin  to 
open  the  latter  part  of  July  or  first  of  August, 
according  to  the  season.  When  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  bolls  have  opened  the  pickers  commence 
their  work ;  each  is  provided  with  a  bag  suspended 
from  the  neck,  so  that  both  hands  may  be  used. 
The  contents  of  all  the  open  bolls  are  transferred  to 
the  bag.  The  bolls  that  have  been  open  longest 
have  some  of  them  shed  their  contents  out  on  to 
the  ground,  or  they  have  been  beaten  out  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  elements,  but  they  are  all  gathered  up  by 
the  picker ;  hence  we  find  dirt  in  cotton.  The  bolls 
do  not  open  all  at  once,  and  by  the  time  the  pickers 
have  passed  over  the  fields  once,  another  set  are 
open,  and  the  hands  pass  over  it  a  second  and  third 
time,  and  thus  it  continues  sometimes  as  late  as 
December. 

During  this  time  there  is  usually  some  frost 
which  stops  the  growth  of  the  plant  and  kills  the 
leaves  and  the  leaves  of  weeds  and  other  vegeta- 
tion contiguous  to  the  cotton  plant.  These  leaves 
are  soon  dry,  crumble  up,  get  mixed  with  the 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.  7 

cotton,  and  find  their  way  into  the  picker's  bag. 
When  the  frost  comes  and  puts  a  stop  to  the  growth 
there  are  some  which  are  not  ripe,  and  the  green, 
frost-bitten  boll  dries  up  and  turns  black  ;  the  un- 
ripe cotton  inside  clings  to  it ;  this  kind  is  also 
transferred  to  the  picker's  bag.  So  we  find  dead 
leaf  and  blighted  cotton  as  well  as  dirt. 

If  the  weather  is  cloudy  and  damp  at  the  time 
of  picking,  the  cotton  is  spread  out  to  dry  for  a 
time.  After  it  is  dry  it  is  taken  to  the  gin-house 
to  be  ginned.  The  gin  is  a  savage  sort  of  machine, 
and  it  may  be  so  worked  as  to  injure  the  fibre  ; 
indeed  cotton  often  bears  unmistakable  evidence 
of  injury  received  in  ginning.  The  savage  gin 
referred  to  is  called  the  "  saw  gin,"  which  is  the 
only  kind  the  writer  has  ever  seen^  and  those  at 
rest,  and  he  is  not  qualified  to  give  an  intelligible 
description  of  them ;  yet  from  what  he  does  know 
of  the  character  of  cotton  and  the  effect  of  ma- 
chinery upon  its  fibre,  he  is  able  to  form  some 
idea  of  how  injury  may  be  done  in  the  process. 

The  plan  is  to  draw  the  fibre  through  a  wire 
frame  or  rack  by  means  of  saw  teeth.  Let  the 
reader  picture  to  his  mind  a  number  of  smallish 
circular  saws,  fixed  on  a  shaft,  or  arbor,  side  by 
side,  with  the  teeth  just  projecting  through  the 
bars  of  a  wire  rack ;  behind  the  saws  a  revolving 
brush  to  clear  them.  Thus  much  the  writer  has 
seoQ,  and  the  rest  he  must  himself  imagine.  We 
will  suppose  that  the  machine  is  set  in  motion — 
saws  revolving  with  considerable  velocity,  and  the 
brush  in  an  opposite  direction  to  clear  the  saws, 
the  operator  placing  the  cotton  in  the  wire  rack ; 
the  saw  teeth  lay  hold  of  it  and  draw  the  fibre 
through,  leaving  the  seeds  behind,  the  brush 
cleaning  the  saws  and  passing  the  cotton  along 
towards  the   delivery.     Now,  suppose  everything 


8  WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION. 

is  in  order  and  the  cotton  properly  fed  to  the 
machine,  we  can  conceive  how  the  work  may  be 
very  nicely  done ;  but  suppose  the  machine  to  be 
out  of  order,  the  brushes  too  far  off,  or  they  may 
have  become  worn  and  consequently  ineffective, 
or  the  operator  may  crowd  the  machine.  In  either 
of  the  above  ways,  and  perhaps  in  others,  the  ma- 
chine may  work  badly,  get  loaded  up,  the  cotton 
pass  through  between  the  bars  of  the  wire  rack 
several  times  on  the  points  of  the  saw  teeth,  and 
get  bruised  and  ground  up,  producing  that  peculiar 
little  white  nub,  or  nit,  or  nep ;  it  is  something 
familiar  to  carders,  whatever  its  proper  name  may 
be,  and  after  once  being  formed  they  are  hard  to 
get  rid  of,  and  consequently  it  is  very  important 
that  cotton  be  properly  ginned. 

There  is  another  kind  of  gin  called  the  roller 
gin,  less  severe  in  its  action  upon  the  fibre,  though 
slower  in  its  operation.  The  object  of  ginning  is 
to  rid  cotton  of  seeds.  This  it  does  in  a  good 
degree,  though  some  find  their  way  through  the 
bars  of  the  rack  or  the  rolls  in  a  roller  gin,  and 
hence  we  have  some  seeds  in  addition  to  all  other 
substances  that  have  been  mentioned. 

The  next  process  after  ginning  is  baling.  This 
is  done  in  about  the  same  manner  as  farmers 
bale  hay  in  New  England — a  press  with  a  long 
wooden  screw  worked  by  man,  or  horse  power,  or 
both.  The  bales  as  put  up  by  the  planters  are 
very  much  larger  than  they  are  when  we  get  them. 
After  it  is  baled  it  is  taken  to  the  landing  on  the 
river,  or  to  the  railroad  station,  as  the  case  may 
be.  At  these  places  it  often  lies  for  days  waiting 
for  shipment ;  sometimes  rains  fall  on  it,  and  it 
frequently  gets  tumbled  about  in  the  dirt,  or  mud, 
or  both,  considerably  before  loading  on  the  steamer 
or  cars. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.  9 

On  arriving  at  market  (the  planters'  market)  it 
is  inspected,  assorted,  rebaled  under  a  hydraulic 
press ;  and  here  the  bales  are  pressed  harder,  and 
made  smaller  for  convenience  of  transportation.  It 
is  now  ready  for  market.  It  goes  through  a  simi- 
lar carting  and  rolling  about  in  the  mud  to  that 
described  above. 

Southern  mud  is  very  adhesive  and  will  stick  to 
a  cotton-bag  as  well  as  anything  else,  and  does  so 
stick.  ■  When  this  mud  gets  dry  much  of  it  works 
through  the  bag,  and  we  find  it  in  the  shape  of 
sand  ',  so  we  have  another  ingredient  in  compound. 
It  may  be  well  to  sum  them  up :  First,  dirt  gath- 
ered with  the  cotton  in  the  field  ;  second,  dead 
leaf;  third,  unripe  or  blighted  cotton  ;  fourth,  nits 
made  in  ginning,  in  some  cases ;  fifth,  seeds  ; 
sixth,  sand.  When  cotton  is  rebaled,  it  is  fre- 
quently damp,  and  the  tremendous  pressure  to 
which  it  is  subjected  renders  it  more  difficult  to 
relieve  from  these  substances  than  it  otherwise 
would  be. 

Cotton  differs  in  one  particular  firom  any  other 
vegetable  fibre.  It  is  this  :  each  fibre  is  a  little 
independent  twisted  thread,  the  twist  so  close  that 
it  cannot  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye,  though  it  is 
discernible  with  a  powerful  glass.  This  property 
gives  the  fibres  an  attraction  to  each  other,  and  an 
adhesiveness  after  being  joined  by  extraneous  twist, 
rendering  it  capable  of  a  tenuity  far  beyond  any 
Dther  vegetable  fibre.  It  is  considerably  affected 
by  the  atmosphere,  and  in  working  it  is  subjected 
to  the  continual  changes  which  are  taking  place 
in  that  element.  It  will  absorb  five  per  cent,  of 
its  own  weight  in  dampness  in  the  atmosphere, 
under  some  circumstances. 

It  is  also  affected  by  electricity,  though  a  non- 
sonductor.     Electricity  is  excited  more  or  less  by 


10       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION. 

machinery  through  which  cotton  passes  in  its  man- 
ufacture, and  when  the  air  is  dry  it  is  also  a  non- 
conductor. Under  these  circumstances  the  elec- 
tricity remains  where  it  is  excited,  and  is  frequently 
the  cause  of  great  annoyance  to  cotton  carders. 
We  used  to  say — "  When  the  air  is  dry  it  is  full 
of  electricity."  The  fact  is,  when  the  air  is  dry 
it  does  not  conduct  the  electricity  away,  and  it 
remains  where  it  is  excited,  attracting  cotton  fibres 
in  all  directions,  drawing  rolls  up,  and  roving  will 
not  draw  down,  nor  twist  smooth.  These  facts 
should  be  borne  in  mind  by  cotton  carders.  The 
remedy  for  these  evils  will  be  considered,  each 
under  its  appropriate  head,  as  this  \vork  progresses. 

We  have  now  traced  cotton  from  the  boll  to  the 
bale.  We  have  seen  how  other  substances  have 
got  mixed  up  with  it,  and  how  hard  they  have 
been  pressed  into  it.  Our  next  business  will  be 
to  consider  how  to  get  these  foreign  substances 
out  of  it,  the  fibres  completely  separated  from 
them  and  laid  parallel.  It  will  be  our  object,  in 
considering  this  subject,  to  point  out  the  most 
convenient,  and  at  the  same  time  efficacious,  man- 
ner of  doing  it. 

The  primitive  old  plan  of  doing  this  business 
was  very  simple,  performed  by  hand,  slow  and  te- 
dious ;  so  that  when  men  began  to  multiply  rap- 
idly and  began  to  have  a  desire  to  dress  fashiona- 
bly, the  supply  fell  short  of  the  demand.  Then 
it  was,  some  hundred  years  ago  or  more,  that  men 
in  England  began  to  turn  their  attention  to  the 
invention  of  machinery  to  assist  in  this  branch  of 
cotton  manufacture,  as  it  had  been  employed  in 
spinning.  The  first  attempts  in  this  direction 
were  rude  and  simple  ;  but  as  one  machine  after 
another  was  constructed  and  applied  to  the  pur- 
pose, improvements  suggested  themselves  to  the 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       11 


minds  of  the  builders  and  operators ;  new  ma- 
chines were  built,  old  ones  were  remodeled,  and 
faults  remedied  from  time"  to  time,  until  a  whole 
system  of  machinery  was  arranged  to  take  cotton 
from  the  field  and  change  it  into  cloth.  And 
when  the  system  was  completed,  improvements 
continued  and  are  vigorously  kept  up  until  this 
present,  and  are  likely  to  continue  as  long  as  the 
world  stands.  We  have  learned  something,  and 
yet  we  are  learning.  "  Every  day  brings  some- 
thing new,"  is  as  true  in  cotton  manufacturing 
as  in  anything  else. 

Sometimes  enthusiastic  inventors  have  a  zeal 
with  which  unfortunately  their  knowledge  does 
not  keep  pace,  and  we  are  offered  some  impracti- 
cable machinery.  But  good  judgment  is  sure  to 
come  to  the  rescue,  sooner  or  later,  and  we  are 
enabled  to  discern  between  that  which  is  right 
and  proper  and  that  which  is  not — keep  the  good 
and  cast  the  bad  away.  We  are  sometimes  trou- 
bled with  poorly-built  machinery.  Cheapness  is 
the  great  desideratum.  This  has  led  to  a  sharp 
competition  and  given  us  some  machines  that  are 
not  A  No.  1.  Accuracy  of  construction  is  very 
necessary  in  all  cotton  machinery,  but  nowhere 
more  so  than  in  that  belonging  to  the  carding  de- 
partment. Cast-iron  pulleys  work  more  satisfac- 
torily when  covered  with  leather ;  belts  are  not 
required  to  be  so  tight  when  they  are  so  covered, 
as  they  are  without  such  covering,  thus  making  a 
saving  not  only  in  belts  and  belt  fastenings,  but  a 
saving  in  shafting,  hangers  and  oil.  All  kinds  of 
shafting  should  be  hung  level  and  straight,  and  in 
new  mills,  where  there  is  a  liability  of  shrinkage 
of  wood-work  and  settling  of  walls,  it  should  be 
re-leveled  as  often  as  occasion  may  require.  Every 
carder   should  insist  on   having  thoroughly-built 


12       WILSON'S  COTTON"  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

and  accurate  machinery ;  and  if  it  is  not  so,  he 
should  report  to  the  proper  authorities,  so  that 
censure  may  come  in  the  right  place,  if  it  comes 
at  all.  All  kinds  of  machinery  should  be  careful- 
ly watched  and  kept  in  repair ;  the  first  begin- 
nings of  disorder  should  be  attended  to.  "  A 
stitch  in  time  saves  nine  "  is  true  in  this  particu- 
lar. Machinery  should  not  be  left  to  run  alone — 
not  even  on  loose  pulleys — as  there  is  a  liability 
of  trouble.  A  pulley  may  heat  and  throw  fire, 
or  it  may  stick  and  start  a  frame. 


CHAPTER  II. 
Opening,  or  Picking,  Cotton. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  —  CHANGES  —  PURPOSE  AND  PRINCIPLES  OP 
OPENING  AND  PICKING  COTTON  —  OLD  METHOD — GRADUAL 
CHANGES  —  NAMES  OF  MACHINES  —  INVENTIONS  —  VARIA- 
TIONS IN  COTTON  —  MIXING  —  THE  BEST  METHOD  —  REASONS 
GIVEN  —  WASTE,  HOW  IT  WILL  WORK  ALONE  —  FIRST  MA- 
CHINE—  WHAT  IT  USED  TO  BE  —  A  WHIPPER  —  WHAT  SPEED 
TO  RUN  —  THE  CALVERT  WILLOW — OLD  STYLE  —  IMPROVE- 
MENTS ON  SAME— NEW  MACHINERY — ADVANTAGES   CLAIMED 

—  PRODUCTS  OF  SAME  —  RELATIONS  OF  BEATERS  AND  ROLL- 
ERS—  SPEED  OF  BEATERS — QUALIFICATIONS  OF  TERMS  — 
DRAUGHT  OF  PICKERS  —  FAN  DRAUGHT  —  SELF-REGULATING 
DOORS  AND  KVENERS — DOUBLE  PICKING — SINGLE— REGU- 
LATING BY  SOUND  OF  BEATERS— OLD  PRACTICE  OF  WORKING 
WASTE  —  NEW    ONE    SUGGESTED  —  OBJECTIONS    CONSIDERED 

—  MAKING    THE    MOST    OF   EVERYTHING  —  INJURY   OF    FIBRE 

—  WHAT  DO  WE  MEAN  BY  IT  —  WHAT  IT  IS  NOT  —  WHAT  IS 
NECESSARY'^  —  HOW  TO  MANAGE  —  THE  MODERN  PICKER  AT 
WORK  —  WHAT  IT  DOES,  AND  HOW  —  THE  CREDIT  OF  THE 
MACHINE  TO  WHOM  IT  BELONGS — KITSON'S  NEW  OPENER."  A 
DESCRIPTION  OF  —  SPRINKLERS — A  SUGGESTION. 

Picking  as  it  used  to  be  called  was,  and  is  now, 
the  first  process  that  cotton  passes  through  in  its 
manufacture;  and  though  this  process  has  been 
known  in  different  sections,  at  different  times,  by 
various  names,  such  as  "  whipping,"  "  willowing," 
"  picking  "  and  "  opening,"  and  the  names  of  the 
machines  used  for  these  purposes  have  been  as 
varied  as  the  names  of  processes,  yet  the  purpose 
and  principle  remain  the  same.  The  purpose  is  to 
open  out  and  disentangle  the  fibre,  relieve  from 
dirt  as  much  as  possible,  and  prepare  it  for  the 
card.  The  principle  is  to  subject  it  to  the  action 
of  machinery  of  some  kind,  with  more  or  less  se- 
verity of  whipping,  scratching  and  pounding,  to 


14       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

produce  the  desired  result.  Within  the  last  twen- 
ty years,  more  or  less,  this  branch  of  business  has 
been  made  a  department  by  itself  by  many  large 
concerns  and  some  small  ones.  It  is  common  in 
these  times  to  find  in  many  places  the  "  picker 
house  "  (as  it  is  usually  called),  with  its  apjjurte- 
nances,  all  independent  of  the  carding,  or  any 
other  room.  Where  this  is  the  case,  of  course 
picking  is  no  part  of  the  carder's  business.  But 
there  are  still  some  places  where  this  business  is 
carried  on  in  connection  with  the  carding,  and  un- 
der the  supervision  of  the  carder,  and  consequent- 
ly must  be  considered  in  this  volume.  With  the 
change  in  style  of  doing  this  work,  making  it  a 
department  by  itself,  it  becomes  a  question  of  more 
interest  than  formerly.  More  attention  is  paid  to 
it  now  than  used  to  be  under  the  old  system. 

Many  changes,  and  some  improvements,  have 
been  made  in  machines  ;  but  as  has  been  remark- 
ed, the  purpose  and  principle  remain  the  same. 
It  is  the  manner  that  changes.  The  old  method 
of  separating  the  cotton  fibre  from  seeds  and  dirt 
was  first  to  spread  a  quantity  on  a  bench  or  plat- 
form, and  whip  it  with  willow  sticks.  This  loos- 
ened out  the  fibre  a  little ;  then  it  was  picked  by 
hand  ;  then  carded  between  two  flat  hand  cards. 
It  is  very  probable  that,  as  machinery  began  to 
take  the  place  of  some  of  the  instruments  used 
for  these  purposes,  the  machines  took  the  names  of 
instruments.  Machines  were  first  worked  by  hand- 
power,  then  horse-power,  then  water  and  steam. 

In  this  light  it  is  easy  to  conceive  how  machines 
used  for  loosening  out  and  cleaning  cotton  fibres 
were  first  called  a  "^^ willow"  and  a  ^^ picker," 
because  they  originally  performed  the  work  with 
willow  sticks  and  by  hand  picking.  "  Scutch  " 
was  the  name  of  an  instrument  used  in  England 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       15 

in  old  times  to  break  flax  with  ;  so  in  that  coun- 
try what  used  to  be  called  a  "  picker  "  with  us, 
was  by  them  called  a  "  scutcher."  We  are  getting 
nearer  together  now,  and  most  people  call  this 
business  opening  and  picking  cotton. 

It  is  not  necessary,  in  a  work  of  this  kind,  to 
trace  out  the  names  of  inventors  from  those  prim- 
itive times  down  to  tho  present ;  neither  would  it 
be  safe  to  undertake  it,  as  many  of  the  same  in- 
ventions are  claimed  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 
It  is  generally  conceded,  however,  that  a  Scotch- 
man by  the  name  of  Snodgrass  was  the  inventor 
of  the  beater  principle,  though  his  original  idea 
has  been  greatly  enlarged  upon,  and  still  the  work 
is  going  on.  A  sentence  in  the  circular  announc- 
ing this  work,  reads  as  follows  :  "  The  best  meth- 
od of  putting  cotton  through  the  various  processes 
through  which  it  passes  in  preparation  for  spin- 
ning will  be  discussed  at  some  length,  each  under 
its  appropriate  head,  and  reasons  given."  And 
the  writer  would  invite  particular  attention  to  the 
last  words  of  the  sentence,  "And  reasons  given." 

The  writer  has  had  some  experience  in  the  pre- 
paration of  cotton,  and  in  some  particulars  he 
knows  whereof  he  speaks.  It  is  not  guess-work, 
though  he  would  not  lay  down  a  particular  rule, 
to  be  governed  by  under  all  circumstances.  Cot- 
ton varies  so  much  in  length,  strength,  fineness, 
smoothness  and  cleanness  of  fibre,  that  it  would  be 
very  unwise  to  treat  it  all  alike  in  preparation  ; 
but  there  are  some  general  rules  that  are  applica- 
ble to  all  kinds. 

And  under  this  head  may  be  mentioned,  mixing 
previous^to  working  with  machinery.  In  this  par- 
ticular it  may ;  yea,  it  should  all  be  treated  alike. 
Men  have  their  own  peculiar  notions  as  to  the  best 
course  to  pursue  in  mixing.     The  writer  has  tried 


16       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

various  ways,  under  direction  of  parties  for  whom 
he  has  worked,  some  of  them  very  cumbersome 
and  laborious;  and  he  has  no  fault  to  find  with 
any  of  them.  But  there  is  one  plan  he  has  tried 
with  entire  satisfaction ;  while  there  may  be  many 
good  ways,  this  one  is  considered  the  best.  First, 
a  large,  airy  room  should  be  provided — the  larger 
the  better.  The  bales,  after  removing  the  bags, 
should  be  laid  down  close  together  on  the  edge. 
Proceed  in  this  manner  until  the  room  is  filled,  all 
except  a  space  near  the  first  machine  through 
which  it  is  to  pass.  Second,  card  the  bags,  and 
place  the  cotton  thus  removed  in  a  pile  by  itself. 
The  reason  for  laying  bales  down  edgewise  instead 
of  sidewise,  is  because  the  bales  were  packed  in 
that  way.  and  they  pick  up  very  much  nicer  and 
easier  from  the  edge  than  they  do  from  the  side. 
They  should  be  allowed  to  lie  twenty-four  hours 
or  more  after  they  are  taken  into  the  room,  before 
any  is  used.  The  reason  for  this  is,  when  the  bag 
is  first  removed  the  cotton  in  the  bale  is  damp,  and 
this  time  is  necessary  for  it  to  dry.  In  this  man- 
ner the  top  of  all  the  bales  will  dry  down  a  certain 
distance,  become  kind  of  loose  and  light  b}'  exposure 
to  dry  air,  and  the  cotton  works  easier. 

Next  comes  '*  picking  up  cotton,"  in  order  to 
mix  It  is  impossible  to  make  uniform  work  in  the 
carding-room  unless  the  cotton  is  well  mixed  in  the 
picker-house,  it  varies  so  much  in  quality,  even  in 
the  same  grade ;  and  it  is  often  the  case  that  two 
or  more  grades  are  worked  together,  so  that,  if  all 
the  long  staple  in  a  certain  lot  should  be  worked 
together,  then  the  medium,  and  lastly  the  short, 
the  ups  and  downs  in  the  work  that  follows  would 
be  intolerable  To  avoid  this  it  must  be  mixed  in 
the  picker-room.  It  is  thought  by  some  that  where 
there  is  double  carding,  and  a  large    number  of 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.        17 

breaker  cards  run  into  one  lap-head,  the  cotton  is 
mixed  in  this  way,  and  it  is ;  but  this  plan  can 
never  be  substituted  for  mixing  in  the  picker-room. 
To  secure  good,  uniform  work,  all  kinds  must  be 
mixed  together  before  it  is  worked  at  all.  As  the 
cotton  is  picked  up,  a  layer  from  each  bale  some 
six,  eight,  or  ten  inches  deep,  as  the  case  may  be 
(enough  to  last  one  day),  the  waste  from  the  card- 
ing-room  and  spinning-room — one  day'^s  waste,  or 
all  the  waste  made  in  these  rooms  in  one  day,  that 
is  calculated  to  be  re-worked  in  all  the  machines 
through  which  the  cotton  passes — should  be  mixed 
with  it ;  also,  a  portion  of  the  cotton  that  has  been 
carded  from  the  bags;  and  the  whole  thrown  in  a 
pile  near  the  first  machine,  through  which  it  is  to 
pass  in  preparation 

And  here  the  writer  may  be  allowed  to  make  a 
remark  on  the  manner  of  re-working  waste,  as  it 
seems  to  him  that  a  great  mistake  is  made  just  at 
this  point.  According  to  his  views  of  this  subject, 
all  the  working  cotton  needs  is  enough  to  clean 
and  straighten  the  fibre  and  get  it  in  proper  shape 
to  spin ;  more  than  this  is  injurious.  Now,  if  this 
view  is  correct,  what  shall  we  think  of  taking  clean 
waste,  such  as  is  made  about  breaker  and  finisher 
cards,  or  single  cards,  lap-heads,  drawing,  roving 
and  spinning  frames,  back  to  the  picking-room  and 
mixing  it  with  the  new  cotton,  putting  it  through 
all  the  opening  machinery,  then  through  all  the 
cards  and  other  machinery  used  in  the  preparation  ? 
What  is  the  effect  upon  the  fibre  of  this  cotton, 
and  what  is  the  effect  of  working  this  waste  in  the 
usual  manner  upon  the  whole  work  with  which  it 
is  mixed  ?  It  must  be  most  demoralizing,  render- 
ing it  weak  and  uneven.  If  any  are  desirous  of 
knowing  exactly  how^  such  waste  will  work  when 
it  has  had  a  second  run  through  the  opener,  picker,. 


18       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

breaker  and  finisher  cards,  railways  and  drawing, 
let  such  an  one  try  a  little  alone  without  being 
mixed  with  new,  or  any  other  kind  of  cotton,  and 
he  will  find  out.  It  will  be  with  great  difficulty 
he  will  be  able  to  pass  it  along  as  far  as  the  last 
drawing  head;  and  when  it  has  passed  through  that 
machine  it  will  utterly  refuse  to  go  farther.  Take 
up  a  piece  of  drawing  two  feet  long,  and  it  will 
drop  apart ;  it  will  not  hold  together  to  go  through 
a  speeder — not  at  all.  It  has  had  too  much  work- 
ing, and  it  must  go  back  to  the  picker,  and  a  very 
small  quantity  be  mixed  with  a  large  quantity  of 
new  cotton,  in  order  to  work  it. 

If  this  is  correct,  and  no  one  has  disputed  it, 
such  waste  should  not  be  re-worked  with  the  new 
cotton.  Breaker  flyings,  and  any  other  dirty  waste 
that  needs  to  be  re-w^orked  considerably  to  clean 
it,  may  and  ought  to  be  mixed  with  the  cotton 
when  it  is  picked  up.  The  way  to  work  clean 
waste  will  be  explained  in  another  place. 

When  the  cotton  has  been  picked  up  and  mixed 
in  the  manner  described  above,  it  is  ready  to  pass 
through  the  first  machine.  This  first  machine 
was  formerly  in  this  country,  and  to  some  extent 
in  England,  a  cone  willow  ;  such  are  used  now  in 
some  places,  and  they  are  a  very  good  kind  of 
machine ;  may  be  run  at  about  350  or  375  revo- 
lutions per  minute,  and  they  are  capable  of  taking 
care  of  as  much  cotton  as  an  ordinary  man  can 
stuff  through  the  aperture  in  the  top.  They  clean 
the  cotton  very  well,  and  if  the  delivery  is  kept 
clear,  and  the  waste  underneath  is  not  allowed  to 
fill  up  to  the  rack,  very  little  injury  is  done  to  the 
staple.  But  if  the  bin  fills  up  so  as  to  obstruct 
the  delivery,  then  they  will  string  the  cotton,  or 
as  some  call  it,  "  roll  the  cotton."  Keep  them 
clear,  and  they  will  work  very  well. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       19 

Some  use  a  stick  whipper  as  the  first  machine 
for  opening  cotton.  These  are  excellent  machines 
— cheap,  effective,  and  durable.  The  speed  may  be 
from  175  to  200  revolutions  of  the  driving  shaft 
per  minute.  One  man  will  whip  12,000  pounds 
of  cotton  per  day  and  do  it  well,  too.  This  ma- 
chine gives  cotton  a  nice  preparation  for  any 
machine  that  is  to  follow ;  and  it  is  the  opinion  of 
the  writer  that  cotton  should  always  pass  through 
such  a  machine  as  this,  or  some  similar  machine, 
before  it  passes  through  rigid  rolls  and  beaters. 
As  cotton  comes  out  of  the  bale  in  damp  flakes  it 
is  in  no  condition  for  such  machinery,  and  if  it  is 
passed  through  such  as  the  first  process,  it  is  done 
to  the  injury  of  both  cotton  and  machinery. 

The  Calvert  willow  is  still  in  use  in  some  places, 
and  if  cotton  is  first  whipped  in  a  stick  whipper, 
some  700  or  800  pounds  may  be  nicely  willowed 
in  one  of  these  machines  in  a  day — ^^that  is,  if  the 
machine  is  in  its  original  shape.  Much  fault  has 
been  found  with  these  machines  in  times  past.  It 
has  been  said  that  they  injure  the  fibre  in  many 
ways;  that  they  make  loops,  strings,  rolls,  nits, 
neps  and  various  kinds  of  trouble  arise  from  their 
use.  And  these  charges  may  all  be  true  to  some 
extent,  and  yet  it  may  be  more  the  manner  of 
treating  the  machine  than  anything  else ;  for  in- 
stance, forcing  too  much  cotton  through  them  will 
produce  these  results.  Owing  to  the  peculiar 
construction  of  the  comb-cylinder,  if  more  cotton 
is  crowded  through  the  rolls  than  this  same  comb- 
cylinder  can  take  care  of  properly,  it  will  do  it 
improperly.  The  little  grooves  in  front  of  each 
comb  being  filled  up  entirely  full,  more  than  full, 
and  kept  so,  the  tendency  is  to  roll  and  string  the 
cotton,  instead  of  loosening  out  the  fibre  nicely, 
as  it  will  do  when  properly  fed. 


20       WILSON'S  COTTON  CAEDERS'  COMPANION. 

The  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Company  greatly 
improved  these  Calvert  willows  by  building  every 
part  stronger,  putting  them  together  in  such  a 
manner  that  any  cylinder  could  be  taken  out  with- 
out taking  the  whole  machine  to  pieces,  putting 
the  tooth  racks  (or  bars)  on  the  wooden  cylinders 
in  spiral  form  instead  of  straight  across,  leaving 
out  the  third  slow  tooth-cylinder  entirely  and  rais- 
ing the  front  of  each  comb  about  a  sixty-fourth  of 
an  inch,  and  making  the  grooves  in  front  of  the 
combs  a  trifle  larger  and  wider-mouthed.  This 
last-mentioned  improvement  was  the  first  one 
made.  It  was  done  by  Mr.  David  Harding,  over- 
seer of  the  picker-house.  First,  one  cylinder  was  so 
arranged  as  an  experiment,  and  it  was  found  to 
work  so  much  better  that  all  the  others  were 
changed,  and  it  led  to  the  other  improvements 
mentioned.  What  this  Company  did  others  can 
do  if  they  choose,  and  they  have  the  benefit  of 
such  example  and  experience.  Yet,  with  all  these 
improvements,  the  cry  was  continued  that  they 
injured  the  staple,  which  was  no  doubt  true  in  a 
sense,  as  these  machines  clean  the  cotton  better 
than  any  other  known  machine.  It  is  a  logical 
conclusion,  that  they  injure  the  fibre  more  than 
any  other.  They  have  within  a  few  years  past 
mostly  been  changed  for  more  modern  machines. 
But  the  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Company  keep 
one  to  clean  the  waste  made  by  breaker  cards. 
One  of  the  machines,  improved  as  above  described, 
will  clean  2000  pounds  per  day  of  ordinary  cotton 
very  well ;  and  if  the  fibre  is  somewhat  injured,  it 
will  do  with  less  working  in  machines  that  follow. 

In  most  large  concerns  at  the  present  time 
(1875),  old  pickers  and  willows  have  been  re- 
moved, and  new  and  more  popular  machinery  has 
been   substituted.     The    advantages   claimed   for 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       21 

the  new  machines  (whether  English  or  American) 
are — 

1st.  They  will  do  more  work.  From  2500  to 
4000  pounds  per  day  are  claimed  for  most  of  the 
new  openers ;  and  it  is  a  fact  that  such  quantities 
are  being  run  through  them,  and  the  work  is  tol- 
erably well  done.  Some  of  them  are  named 
"Duplex,"  and  others  "Compound  Openers,"  be- 
cause they  have  double  feed — two  regular  sets  of 
feed  rollers  and  two  feed  aprons — the  grists  of  the 
two  uniting  before  they  reach  the  second  pair  of 
rollers.  The  product  of  these  machines  is  calcu- 
lated to  be  finished  on  a  picker,  or  lapper,  with  an 
evener,  or  self-regulating  weight,  so  that  the  cotton 
is  spread  on  the  double-feed  opener  aprons  without 
being  weighed,  as  a  general  thing.  The  author 
has  never  had  personal  experience  with  these  ma- 
chines ;  but,  as  has  been  remarked  before,  "  the 
principle  remains  the  same  " ;  and  as  the  machines 
themselves  are  not  materially  different  in  principle 
from  others  that  have  preceded  them,  they  call  for 
the  same  general  management. 

2nd.  It  is  claimed  that  these  new  openers  do 
the  work  better  than  the  old  ones,  or,  that  they 
clean  the  cotton  with  less  injury  to  the  staple, 
which  may  be  true.  It  is  not  for  the  author  of 
this  work  to  say.  It  is  his  business  to  tell  how 
to  manage  any  machine  without  particular  refer- 
ence to  the  merits  of  the  machines  themselves. 
The  relation  of  beaters  to  rollers  should  in  all 
cases  be  determined  by  the  quantity  and  quality 
of  cotton,  and  the  position  they  occupy. 

The  first  beaters  should  be  set  at  a  greater  dis- 
tance from  the  rollers  than  any  of  the  others  that 
follow,  for  the  reason  that  the  grist  is  heaviest 
there,  and  the  cotton  has  not  previously  been 
worked    much,   and    consequently   is   tough,  and 


22       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

works  harder  there  than  at  any  other  point.  If 
the  feed  is  very  heavy,  the  first  beater  should 
clear  the  rollers  three-eighths  of  an  inch,  but  may 
vary  from  that  to  five-sixteenths,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, and  they  may  be  set  gradually  nearer 
to  each  set  of  rollers  down  to  the  last  pair  in  the 
finisher-picker,  the  last  one  not  being  allowed  to 
run  nearer  than  a  tenth  or  twelfth  of  an  inch. 

The  speed  of  beaters  should  vary  in  the  same 
manner.  They  may  run  at  any  speed,  from  1400 
to  1800  revolutions  per  minute,  according  to  di- 
ameter or  breadth ;  the  first  on  lowest  speed,  and 
the  last  on  highest,  for  the  same  reasons  that  they 
are  set  at  different  distances  from  rollers!  It  is 
necessary  on  modern  pickers,  and  an  advantage  to 
any  kind,  to  have  more  or  less  draught.  It  may 
vary  from  four  to  ten  in  different  machines.  If  there 
are  two  sets  of  rollers  at  any  point,  as  is  the  case 
in  some  machines,  it  is  well  to  have  a  little  draught 
between  the  two  sets,  say  li  to  H.  The  draught  of 
a  picker,  as  a  whole,  may  be  arranged  to  suit  cir- 
cumstances. The  weight  of  a  yard  of  lap  from 
the  finisher-picker  may  range  from  6  to  14  ounces. 

Finisher-pickers,  or  lappers,  as  they  are  fre- 
quently called  nowadays,  are  calculated  to  do 
one-half  the  work  of  the  modern  opener.  Two 
finishers  are  supplied  with  laps  from  one  opener. 
The  laps  are  usually  run  three  into  one  ;  on  old- 
fashioned  pickers  two  into  one,  and  in  some  cases 
pickers  are  single. 

It  is  very  proper  to  say  that  a  machine  will 
do  so  much  work  in  a  day,  or  a  week.  This 
means  under  ordinary  circumstances  and  average 
kind  of  cotton.  If  cotton  is  very  dirty,  of  course 
it  must  be  worked  more  than  if  it  is  very  clean. 
The  feed  of  a  picker  should  be  changed  to  suit  the 
quality  of  cotton,  while  the  beaters  and  fans  may 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       23 

have  the  same  speed  for  all  kinds ;  and  the  draught 
may  remain  the  same.  It  is  better  to  put  cotton 
through  two  rapid  processes  than  once  slowly ; 
I  that  is,  it  cleans  it  better,  as  much  of  the  dirt  in 
cotton  is  as  light  as  the  cotton  itself,  though  not 
as  tenacious ;  it  will  rattle  out  if  it  has  a  chance, 
when  it  could  not  be  knocked  or  blown  out. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  modern  pickers  re- 
quire more  draught  than  old-fashioned  ones.  It  is 
necessary  to  have  a  good  fan  draught  in  all  kinds 
of  pickers,  not  only  to  rid  the  cotton  of  dust,  but 
to  pack  it  evenly  on  the  revolving  screen  cylinders, 
as  it  passes  through  the  machine.  Without  this 
arrangement  a  good,  smooth  lap  cannot  be  made. 
Most  modern  pickers  have  fans  attached  to  their 
own  driving  gear,  and  so  stop  and  start  with  the 
machine.  Some  annoyance  has  been  experienced 
with  this  arrangement,  where  several  pickers  run 
in  the  same  room  and  all  discharge  their  dust  into 
one  dust-room.  When  one  stops  it  takes  the  dust 
of  others  up  into  the  one  standing.  Mr.  Richard 
Kitson,  now  of  the  Kitson  Machine  Company,  has 
invented  a  self-adjusting  door  at  the  end  of  the 
dust-box  of  each  machine,  so  nicely  balanced  that 
when  the  picker  starts  it  opens,  and  when  it  stops 
the  door  shuts.  Mr.  David  Harding  has  fitted  a 
binder  to  the  cone  belt  which  regulates  the  evener 
on  modern  machines,  and  makes  them  much  more 
effective  than  formerly.  The  last-named  improve- 
ment has  been  patented  and  assigned  to  Richard 
Kitson,  Esq.  The  old-fashioned  pickers  take  care 
of  about  800  or  1000-  pounds  of  cotton  per  day, 
wh-en  run  single,  and  when  double  (that  is,  as  a 
(breaker  and  finisher)  double  that  amount.  As  a 
^general  thing  double  picking  is  to  be  preferred  to 
single,  for  the  same  reasons  that  double  carding 


24       WILSON'S  COTTON^  CARDERS'  COMPANION 

is  preferable  to  single.     This  subject  will  be  con- 
sidered in  a  future  chapter,  on  carding, 

A  picker,  when  everything  is  in  perfect  order 
and  working  all  right,  makes  a  round,  well-defined 
hum,  like  a  large  bumble  bee.  If  the  sound  of 
the  beaters  is  sharp,  like  the  buzz  of  a  smaller 
insect,  it  indicates  that  they  are  too  near  the  rolls. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  sound  is  coarse  and  flut- 
tering, it  shows  that  they  are  either  too  far  from 
the  rolls,  or  running  too  slow,  or  being  fed  too 
heavily.  Of  course  the  sound  is  not  a  sure  guide, 
but  a  practised  ear  will  detect  a  wrong  sound  very 
quickly. 

And  here  the  author  may  be  allowed  to  make 
a  suggestion  perhaps  with  regard  to  the  proper 
preparation  of  cotton.  It  has  already  been  said 
that  ''  all  the  working  cotton  needs  is  enough  to 
clean  and  straighten  the  fibre  ;  more  than  this  is 
injurious."  If  this  is  a  correct  fundamental  prin- 
ciple on  which  to  proceed  in  the  preparation  of 
cotton  (and  the  author  has  never  heard  it  ques- 
tioned), then  there  is  a  chance  for  improvement  in 
our  practice.  It  is  the  general  custom  to  take 
all  the  waste  from  the  carding  from  breaker  and 
finisher  cards,  lap  heads,  drawing  and  roving 
frames,  and  all  kinds  of  spinning  frames,  back  to 
the  picking  mill  and  mix  it  with  the  cotton  to  be 
re-worked,  and  put  it  through  all  the  other  pro- 
cesses of  preparation.  So  far  as  the  waste  from 
breaker-cards  is  concerned, that  method  is  all  right; 
because  that  kind  of  waste  is  dirty  and  needs  the 
re- working  to  clean  it.  But  does  the  waste  made 
on  finisher-cards — such  as  top-strippings  and  fly- 
ings— waste  made  about  a  lap  head,  or  where  a 
finisher-card  breaks  down,  or  waste  from  a  draw- 
ing, roving,  or  spinning  frame — all  clean  and  nice 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       2  b 

— do  these  kinds  of  waste  need  all  this  re-working  ? 
Most  certainly  not.  It  is  a  positive  injury  to  it, 
and  by  such  a  use  of  it  all  the  other  work  is  made 
weak.  This  is  the  opinion  of  the  author  :  it  can 
be  taken  for  what  it  is  worth.  He  has  never  tried 
any  other  plan,  because  he  has  not  been  situated, 
for  several  years  past,  so  that  he  could.  If  he  had 
been  working  independent  of  all  others,  and  had 
charge  of  pickers  in  connection  with  his  own  room, 
he  would  long  ere  this  have  tried  another  plan. 
As  it  is.  his  suggestion  is  to  collect  the  waste  from 
finisher-cards,  lap  heads,  drawing  frames,  roving 
frames  and  spinning  frames — all  clean — carry  it 
to  the  whipper  and  pass  it  through  that  machine 
by  itself;  then  spread  it  on  the  apron  of  a  finisher- 
picker  and  make  a  lap,  to  be  used  on  a  finisher- 
card.  Let  it  be  distinctly  understood,  that  this 
plan  is  not  a  revival  of  the  old  plan  of  taking 
waste  generally — dirty  and  clean  —  back  to  the 
picker  and  making  a  lap  for  the  breaker-card, 
called  ''  a  waste  card."  But  this  plan  is  recom- 
mended for  clean  waste,  and  no  other. 

An  objection  may  be  raised  here,  on  the  ground 
that  it  is  not,  or  cannot  be,  well  mixed  with  the 
other  cotton  by  this  plan.  But  let  it  be  remem- 
bered that  it  had  a  good  mixing  the  first  time  it 
was  worked.  What  need  of  more  mixing  ?  But 
it  may  be  objected,  again,  that  it  would  injure  the 
product  of  the  section  of  cards  through  which  it 
passed,  mingling  with  the  work  of  only  ten  or 
twelve  finisher  cards,  instead  of  the  whole  as  now. 
That  is  true;  but  would  it  injure  the  work  of  that 
section,  in  the  manner  described,  as  badly  as  it 
injures  the  whole  by  the  old  plan,  especially  when 
roving  waste  is  run  through  a  scratching  machine 
and  torn  all  to  pieces  by  the  process  ?     This  sug- 

3 


26       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

gestion  is  thrown  in  for  the  consideration  of  those 
who  may  deem  it  worth  their  while  to  think  of  it. 

In  the  preparation  of  cotton,  like  most  other  kinds 
of  business,  it  is  well  to  make  the  most  of  every- 
thing ;  and  to  this  end  it  is  a  good  plan,  when 
loose  cotton  falls  down  from  one  story  to  another 
— as  from  the  willow-room  to  the  picker-room — to 
let  it  pass  over  a  rack,  or  fall  on  a  rack,  or  both, 
as  much  loose  dirt  will  rattle  out  in  this  way  and 
may  be  gotten  rid  of  very  cheaply.  It  would, 
perhaps,  astonish  a  man  who  never  saw  it  tried,  or 
rather,  a  man  who  should  see  it  for  the  first  time, 
to  see  the  amount  of  dirt  that  will  rattle  out  of 
cotton  in  this  manner ;  and  this  is  a  kind  of  work- 
ing that  does  nor  injure  the  staple. 

And  here,  perhaps,  a  few  remarks  on  this  par- 
ticular subject  may  be  in  order.  What  is  meant 
by  the  term  wjuring  the  staple,  or  fibre,  of 
cotton  ?  Do  we  understand  by  it,  breaking  the 
staple?  That  would,  certainly  be  an  injury;  but 
is  that  what  is  meant  by  it  ?  If  it  is.  there  is 
probably  very  little  if  any  of  that  kind  of  injury 
done  to  cotton  in  modern  carding  or  picking  ma- 
chinery, as  the  conditions  necessary  to  produce  this 
result  do  not  exist,  in  proper  machinery  and  ordi- 
nary cotton.  In  order  to  break  the  staple,  one  end 
must  be  so  firmly  held  between  a  pair  of  rollers 
as  to  resist  a  sufficient  power  to  break  it  while  so 
held  ;  and  our  ordinary  cotton  does  not  show  staple 
over  an  inch  at  the  longest,  and  most  of  it  is  shorter 
than  that ;  while  in  modern  opening  and  picking 
machinery  the  gripping  and  pounding,  or  scratching, 
powers  are  two  inches  apart  in  most  cases.  When 
it  is  understood  that  the  fibres  lie  in  all  directions 
at  this  stage — as  often  crosswise  as  lengthwise  of 
the  machine — we  must  conclude  that  there  is  not 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       27 

much  staple  broken  in  this  way,  or  in  fact  in  any 
other  way  in  any  ordinary  machinery  at  this  date. 
Probably  our  cotton  is  not  injured  in  that  manner, 
viz :  by  breaking  the  staple.  Most  all  our  common 
grades  of  cotton  vary  considerably  in  length  of 
staple,  or  rather,  the  staple  varies  considerably  in 
the  same  lot,  even  while  in  the  boll,  and  if  we  look 
sharp  we  shall  find  nearly  all  lengths,  from  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  to  an  inch  in  length  in  the  bale, 
and  at  almost  every  stage  in  the  process  of  work- 
ing ;  but  we  shall  find  that  the  proportion  of  short 
grows  less  as  we  advance,  instead  of  increasing. 
Much  of  it  finds  its  way  into  waste,  in  various 
ways.  It  is  knocked  out  by  the  whipper,  opener 
and  willow,  by  the  beaters,  by  card-teeth,  and  after 
it  gets  out  into  open  air,  as  in  drawing,  roving  and 
spinning  frames,  much  of  it  is  thrown  off  by  cen- 
trifugal force.  The  air  is  full  of  it.  After  a  while 
it  settles  on  the  roller-beams  and  flyer-plates  and 
on  the  floor,  while  the  long  staple  is  held  in  place 
and  goes  along  in  the  work. 

The  author  of  these  pages  is  of  the  opinion  that 
we  do  not  brmJc  the  staple,  at  the  present  time,  if 
we  ever  did,  in  working.  But  the  question,  "  Do 
we  injure  it  ?  "  still  continues.  No  doubt  every 
process  that  cotton  passes  through,  in  preparation 
for  spinning,  wears  it  more  or  less — frets  the  ends 
of  the  fibre,  strains  and  weakens  it  in  a  degree,  and 
it  is  a  necessity  ;  there  is  no  getting  rid  of  it,  if  we 
clean  and  straighten  the  fibre,  as  we  must  do  if  we 
would  have  good,  smooth  yarn. 

But  in  this,  as  in  most  other  kinds  of  business, 
there  is  a  best  way  to  do  it ;  and  the  best  way  is  to 
work  as  little  as  possible  and  accomplish  our  object. 
In  the  opinion  of  the  author  it  is  not  the  best  way 
to  carry  clean  cotton  (waste  made  on  cards,  draw- 
ing, roving  and  spinning  frames)  back  to  the  open- 


28       WILSON'S  COTTOX  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

ing  room  and  put  it  through  all  the  machines  that 
the  raw  cotton  passes  through ;  but  the  best  way 
would  be  to  get  it  into  a  lap  as  quickly  and  easily  as 
possible,  put  it  on  a  finisher  card,  and  in  that  man- 
ner mix  it  with  the  other  cotton. 

Again :  it  is  not  the  best  way  to  run  roving 
waste  through  an  extra  process  beforehand.  It  is 
more  than  probable  that  a  great  saving  of  fibre 
could  be  made  by  a  different  mode  of  operation 
with  regard  to  our  clean  waste  and  dirty  waste, 
too,  perhaps  ;  but  the  question  of  dirty  waste  will 
be  more  fiilly  discussed  in  the  chapter  on  carding. 

One  thing  more  in  this  connection :  The  fibre  of 
cotton  may  be  injured  by  being  subjected  to  the 
action  of  beaters  and  rolls.  As  it  first  comes  from 
the  bale  in  damp  flakes,  it  is  then  too  solid  to  re- 
ceive such  blows ;  it  should  be  run  through  a  stick- 
whipper,  or  something  equivalent,  to  loosen  it  out 
a  little  ;  then  beaters  won't  hurt  it. 

The  modern  picker  is  a  machine  which  while  at 
work  challenges  the  admiration  of  the  beholder  at 
once.  Receiving  a  lot  of  loose,  disconnected,  dirty 
cotton,  and  turning  out  a  smooth,  even  sheet,  compar- 
itively  clean,  and  nicely  winding  it  on  a  roll  ready 
to  be  handled  at  the  pleasure  of  the  operator, 
seems  almost  like  magic  to  those  who  are  unac- 
quainted with  the  particulars  of  the  plan  of  opera- 
tions. The  writer  was  once  showing  some  company 
through  the  mills,  and  while  explaining  the  w^ork 
of  the  picker  and  remarking  that  in  this  process 
the  cotton  was  separated  from  the  dirt,  one  lady 
asked  the  question — ''  How  does  this  machine  know 
dirt  from  cotton?"  This  question  of  course  raised 
a  laugh  ;  but  it  was,  and  is,  a  fair  question.  How 
does  it  know?  Has  the  machine  intelligence?  No  : 
but  the  builders  had ;  and  by  employing  the  ele- 
ments, and  making  use  of  the  laws  of  nature  in  its 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       29 

construction  and  operation,  the  desired  results  are 
produced.  By  a  strong  fan  draught  the  cotton,  as 
it  passes  through  the  weighted  rolls  towards  the 
beater,  is  held  up  against  its  blades  and  receives 
the  full  force  of  each  succeeding  blow;  and  by 
these  blows  from  the  beater  blade  the  heavy  dirt, 
seeds,  etc.,  are  driven  down  through  the  rack  under- 
neath, or  over  the  "  throat  piece,"  as  the  case  may 
be  ;  but  the  cotton  and  light  dust  are  drawn  for- 
ward by  the  f^m  draught;  and  cotton  is  packed  on 
the  wire  cylinders,  the  dust  is  drawn  through  them 
and  finds  its  way  into  the  dust^oom,  while  the  cot- 
ton here  receives  its  first  shape  in  form  of  a  lap, 
and  passes  on  through  a  succession  of  rolls,  beaters 
and  cylinders  until  it  is  wound  up  in  convenient 
form  to  be  placed  on  other  pickers,  to  pass  through 
the  same  process  again,  and  come  out  in  a  condi- 
tion to  be  placed  on  a  card.  The  credit  of  this 
machine,  in  its  present  form,  is  not  due  any  one 
man,  or  two,  or  threC;  but  has  come  into  being 
through  a  succession  of  efforts  by  different  men 
for  many  years.  One  man  has  conceived  some- 
thing in  his  own  brain  that  would  improve  it  in  one 
particular,  at  one  time ;  another,  something  else  at 
another  time ;  and  yet  there  is  room. 

Like  most  other  machines  there  is  still  a  chance 
for  improvement ;  and  there  are  men  now  at  work 
in  this  direction,  with  as  much  zeal  as  any  who 
have  preceded  them  in  the  same  kind  of  business, 
and  their  labors  are  being  crowned  with  as  much 
success.  Among  the  indefatigable  laborers  in  this 
direction  may  be  mentioned  Richard  Kitson,  Esq., 
who  has  been  engaged  in  the  business  for  the  last 
twenty  years,  and  has  brought  out  a  machine,  or 
rather  a  set  of  machines  (openers  and  lappers), 
equal  to  any  of  this  class  in  the  country;  and  still 
he  is  at  work  on  improvements.     Mr.  Kitson  for- 


30       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

merly  did  business  on  bis  individual  account,  but  it 
increased  to  such  an  extent  that  it  became  necessary 
to  form  a  company,  and  such  a  company  was  formed 
in  July,  1875,  with  a  large  capital.  Mr.  Kitson  is 
president,  and  S.  E.  Stott  treasurer  and  agent.  The 
company  are  now  at  work  on  an  improved  opener. 
It  differs  somewhat  from  their  deservedly  popular 
compound  opener.  Instead  of  the  double  feed 
(two  aprons  and  two  sets  of  rolls  and  beaters)  the 
cotton  is  taken  from  the  bale,  and  after  being 
mixed,  is  placed  on  two  narrow  aprons,  each  half 
the  width  of  ihe  opener  frame,  and  run  side  by  side 
with  a  partition  between.  When  it  arrives  at  the 
frame,  it  drops  a  little  over  the  end  of  the  aprons, 
then  turns  a  sharp  corner,  half  to  the  right  and  the 
other  half  to  the  left,  and  is  facilitated  in  this 
movement  by  a  little  rough  roller  and  a  strong  fan 
draught,  up  to  an  arch-like  entrance  into  what  ap- 
pears like  entering  the  end  of  a  cylindrical-shaped 
box  above  the  centre.  Inside  this  same  cylindrical- 
shaped  box  are  two  wrought-iron  circular  plates, 
running  side  by  side,  and  close  together,  and  in 
opposite  directions.  One  is  a  little  smaller  than 
the  other.  These  plates  are  armed  with  wrought- 
iron  bars  firmly  riveted  in  a  circle  not  far  from  the 
edge  of  each,  so  that  the  arms  of  the  larger  plate 
project  over  the  edge  of  the  smaller  one ;  the 
smaller  plate  has  a  similar  circle  of  bars  or  arms, 
the  two  forming  circles  of  projecting  bars,  one  in- 
side the  other,  a  few  inches  apart,  and  running  in 
opposite  directions,  all  projecting  towards  the  en- 
trance where  they  receive  the  cotton,  which  is  held 
up  to  their  ends  by  a  strong  fan  draught  until  the 
fibre  is  somewhat  loosened  out;  and  as  it  becomes 
loose  it  enters  the  box,  receives  considerable  of  a 
stirring  up  between  these  double  sets  of  bars,  and 
is  passed  along  to  the  beater  in  the  usual  manner. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.        31 

This  new  arrangement  is  called  an  Atmospheric 
Opener.  The  speed  is  about  700  revolutions  per 
minute. 

The  first  beater  in  this  machine  is  also  a  new 
invention.     It  is  a  three-knife  beater,  but  instead 
of  the  blades  running  straight  through,  from  one 
end  to  the  other,  in  the  ordinary  manner,  they  are 
put  on  in  three  sections.     The  whole  thing  per- 
fectly balanced  and  dealing  continuous  blows,  runs 
very  steadily,  with  less  jar  than  is  usually  made  by 
beaters.     Another'  new  thing  about  this  beater  is 
that  the  arms,  instead  of  being  drilled  through  the 
shaft,  as  is  common,  are  so  arranged  by  means  of 
collars  and  packing  boxes,  that  they  will  yield  a 
little  when  they  come  in  contact  with  anything 
unusually  thick  or  solid.     This  is  called  a  Sectional 
Elastic  Beater.     It  runs  about  1200   revolutions 
per  minute.     The  Company  have  one  of  these  new 
openers  at  work  in  the  Boott  Cotton  Mills.     It  is 
claimed  by  the  inventors  that  this  opener  will  do 
its  work  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  with  less  severity 
of  action  on  the  fibres  of  cotton  than  any  other 
modern  opener.     The  action  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  old  "  stick  whipper."     It  certainly  commends 
itself  to  the  judgment  of  the  writer,  as  it  is  his 
opinion  that  cotton  from  the  bale  should  not  be 
subjected  to  the  action  of  rolls  and  beaters  as  the 
first  process.     This  new  opener  has  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  writer  since  he  commenced  this 
chapter  ;  and  the  new  invention,  together  with  the 
f^ict  that  he  has  for  the  last  two  or  three  years  used 
laps  made. on  the  Kilson  picker  (the  Merrimack 
Manufacturing  Company,  at  Lowell,  have  adopted 
the  Kitson  machines  within  that  time,  excluding  all 
other  lappers),  must  be  his  apology  for  this  digres- 
sion.   A  good,  even,  clean,  well-wound  lap  is  a  very 
essential  starting-point  in  carding ;  and  that  ma- 


32       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

chine,  or  set  of  machines,  that  will  produce  this  re- 
sult with  the  least  wear  and  tear  of  fibre,  is  the  most 
desirable. 

With  all  opening  and  picking  machinery,  it  is 
necessary  to  set  everything  properly  and  firmly, 
and  to  keep  machines  in  order.  They  need  the 
constant,  watchful  care  of  a  living  man,  and  he 
should  be  wide  awake  and  active. 

There  is  some  danger  of  fire  in  a  picker-house, 
and  as  the  material  is  so  very  combustible,  it  is 
necessary  to  be  constantly  on  the  watch.  Most 
picker-houses  and  carding-rooms  are  amply  pro- 
vided with  facilities  for  extinguishing  fire,  and  cer- 
tainly all  should  be.  Many  have  sprinkler  pipes 
running  all  over  the  building,  that  may  instantly 
be  filled  with  water  and  produce  a  shower  all  over 
the  room.  It  has  sometimes  occurred  to  the  writer 
that  there  should  be  some  unmistakable  mark  by 
which  any  one  at  a  glance  may  see  whether  the 
sprinkler  gate  is  open  or  shut,  as  it  sometimes 
happens  in  case  of  fire  that  one  man  opens  the 
sprinkler  gate,  and  immediately  another  man,  not 
knowing  that  any  one  has  preceded  him,  thinks  he 
opens  it  when  he  shuts  it  instead.  Another  dis- 
covers that  the  gate  is  not  open,  and  so  he  proceeds 
to  open  it ;  and  by-  the  time  the  water  begins  to 
flow  through  it  the  second  time,  the  pipe  has  be- 
come red  hot,  and  is  broken  as  the  cold  water 
strikes  it,  and  the  use  of  the  sprinkler  is  lost  for 
that  time,  when  if  there  had  been  some  plan  of  the 
above  description  the  property  might  have  been 
saved. 

In  case  of  fire  in  the  picking  or  carding  depart- 
ment, what  is  most  needed  is  very  prompt  action. 
Suppose  a  spark  of  fire  drops  from  a  bearing  over- 
head on  to  the  floor  among  loose  fibres  of  cotton. 
Some  one  sees  it.    If  he  stops  to  get  a  pail  of  water,. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       33 

or  to  go  after  a  blanket  some  distance  away,  by  the 
time  he  gets  back  there  will  be  likely  to  be  more 
fire  than  he  can  manage,  either  with  a  blanket  or 
a  pail  of  water.  The  most  effective  means  of  ex- 
tinguishing a  little  fire,  when  it  first  strikes  cotton, 
is  to  smother  it ;  grab  it  right  up  in  the  hand  quick 
as  thought,  then  it  may  be  carried  to  a  pail  of  water 
at  leisure  and  submerged.  If  fire  is  discovered  in- 
side a  frame  or  box,  or  any  other  enclosed  place,  don't 
open  the  doors  until  you  have  soiiiething  in  readi- 
ness to  extinguish  it  with.  Get  the  water  and  the 
blankets  readv  first,  in  that  case.  Fire  will  not 
burn  much  without  air,  and  a  little  air  sometimes 
helps  to  spread  it  most  wonderfully. 

Gas  pipes  should  be  brushed  off  clean  every  even- 
ing before  lighting  up,  as  the  loose  fibres  of  cotton 
that  are  continually  flying  around  the  room  some- 
times gather  on  gas  burners  and  pipes  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  make  a  fire,  if  a  blaze  comes  in  con- 
tact with  them. 


CHAPTER  III. 
Carding. 

GENERAL  REMARKS —CLOTHING  CARDS  —  POWKR  REQUIRED  FOR 
FILLETS  —  HOW  TO  ASCERTAIN  IT — TOPS —  DIFFERENT  KINDS 
OF  CLOTHING — GRINDING:  OLD  STYLE — IMPROVEMENTS:  HOW 
MADE  —  PARKER. GRINDER — FURTHER  IMPROVEMENTS  SUG- 
GESTED—  grinders:  how  to  make  true  and  straight — 

HOW  TO  CLOTHE  A  GRINDER  —  GRINDING  CARDS  —  CARD 
CLOTHING  RISING  —  HOW  THEY  ACT  — HOW  TO  CURE  — SET- 
TING UP  CARDS — THE  QUANTITY — DOUBLE  OR  SINGLE  CARD- 
ING —  DISTRIBUTING  DRAWING  IN  RAILWAYS  —  STRIPPING 
CARDS  —  SCREENS  —  SPEED  OF  MAIN  CYLINDERS  —  LICKER- 
INS — DRAUGHT  OF   CARDS — GRINDING — CLOTHING    GRINDERS 

—  OLD  EMERY  —  RE-CLOTHING  CARDS  —  PATCHING  UP  — 
WASHING   CARDS — IMPROVEMENTS  IN  CARDS — A  NEW  GUIDE 

—  WORKING  WASTE. 

However  nicely  cotton  may  be  opened  and  pre- 
pared in  laps,  it  needs  carding;  of  course  the  nicer 
the  preparation  in  the  shape  of  opening  and  pick- 
ing, the  less  carding  it  needs  ;  but  it  must  have 
some.  Picking  is  a  kind  of  wholesale  business,  as 
compared  with  carding.  It  has  in  this  process  been 
handled  by  the  lump ;  it  must  now  be  handled  more 
in  detail ;  individual  fibres  must  be  attended  to,  and 
nothing  but  properly  adjusted  card  teeth  will  do 
this.  As  this  process  is  one  of  the  most  important, 
if  not  the  most  important,  process  cotton  passes 
through  in  its  preparation,  it  will  be  dwelt  on  in 
all  its  particulars.  Remarks  on  machinery  in  the 
first  chapter  of  this  work  should  here  be  borne  in 
mind. 

Before  any  card  cylinders  are  clothed,  they  should 
each  be  covered  with  good,  stout,  even  cotton  cloth, 
put  on  perfectly  smooth,  either  with  thin  glue  or 
size.     After  they  have  had  time  to  dry,  the  little 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       35 

black  specks  and  other  nubs  should  either  be  shaved 
off  with  a  sharp  knife,  or  hammered  down  smooth  ; 
then  the  cylinder  is  ready  for  the  clothing.  A 
breaker  main  cylinder  should  be  clothed  with  cloth- 
ing stuck  with  No.  32  wire,  in  well-tanned  and 
nicely  prepared  leather,  A  No.  1  in  quality.  There 
is  very  little  danger  of  drawing  sheets  on  a  main 
cylinder  too  tight.  When  they  are  new,  of  course 
such  a  thing  is  not  impossible ;  but  where  this  is 
the  case  once,  it  will  probably  be  the  other  way  a 
hundred  times.  Nothing  is  more  discouraging  to 
a  carder,  or  injurious  to  owners,  than  to  have  card 
clothing  "  huff;"  or  rise,  in  a  few  months  after  it  is 
put  on,  and  necessitate  "  drawing  over."  It  is  a 
waste  of  time,  a  disagreeable  job,  loss  of  the  work 
of  cards,  expensive,  as  well  as  keeping  the  grinders 
from  their  legitimate  business,  and  it  is  destructive 
to  clothing.  After  a  main  cylinder  has  been  drawn 
over  its  death  warrant  is  signed ;  the  next  thing 
that  may  be  looked  for  is  breaking  out,  and  a  kind 
of  breaking  out  that  continues  until  it  becomes 
necessary  to  remove  the  clothing  and  put  on  new. 
As  a  general  thing  sheets  should  be  drawn  when 
new  as  hard  as  the  leather  will  bear.  Of  course 
drawing  over  is  sometimes  necessary,  and  when  it 
is  so  it  must  be  attended  to,  and  then  be  careful 
and  not  draw  too  tight.  Remember,  the  stretch  is 
out  of  the  leather  now,  and  it  must  be  dealt  with 
gently  or  immediate  breaking  out  may  be  expected. 
Draiv  easy  the  sedond  time. 

Fillets,  with  which  dofFers,  licker-ins,  and  some- 
times main  cylinders,  are  clothed,  work  very  differ- 
ently from  sheets  They  are  continually  working 
loose.  When  they  are  at  work  they  go  one  way, 
and  while  grinding  they  go  the  other.  It  is  possible 
to  draw  a  doffer  on  too  tight ;  and  if  they  are  so 
drawn  they  will  be  very  likely  to  break  out  more 


36       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

or  less  while  grinding.  It  is  well  to  draw  a  dofFer 
twice  in  clothing ;  that  is,  nail  one  end,  and  wind 
the  fillet  on  loosely ;  then  wind  it  back  on  the  drum  ; 
then  apply  weight  enough  to  the  friction  strap  to 
make  about  forty-eight  pounds'  power  or  strain  on 
the  fillet,  and  in  this  manner  carefully  wind  it  on 
the  doffer  cylinder ;  then  reverse  and  wind  back 
on  the  drum,  keeping  it  tort  all  the  while.  Before 
winding  on  the  last  time,  reduce  the  power  to  about 
thirty-six  pounds.  The  first  winding  with  power 
takes  the  stretch  out  of  the  leather,  and  the  second 
with  thirty-six  pounds'  power  will  be  tight  enough 
to  grind  well ;  and  it  has  been  found  by  the  author 
that  doffer  fillets  put  on  in  the  manner  described 
will  run  longer  without  becoming  loose  than  they 
will  put  on  in  any  other  way.  When  a  doffer  runs 
loose,  as  they  are  likely  to  do,  it  will  generally  be 
detected  at  the  end  of  the  cylinder  while  being 
ground.  Two  or  three  coils  may  be  drawn  over  by 
hand  and  make  the  whole  thing  all  right,  as  the  re- 
mainder will  frequently  be  tight  enough  while  the 
end  may  be  loose.  But  if  there  is  a  general  ap- 
pearance of  being  loose  all  over — edges  huffing, 
with  an  inclination  to  rise,  either  while  at  work  or 
grinding — then  take  it  out  of  the  card  and  put  it 
in  the  machine  and  draw  it  all  over,  applying  about 
twenty-eight  pounds  of  power ;  not  more  for  an  old 
doffer. 

The  power,  or  resistance,  of  a  drum  may  be  as- 
certained in  the  following  manner  :  Put  the  fric- 
tion strap  over  the  pulley  and  weight  it;  then  wind 
a  few  coils  of  narrow  belting,  or  a  small  cord,  round 
the  drum,  confined  to  it  at  one  end,  and  let  the 
loose  end  hang  over  in  the  direction  that  the  fillet 
will  draw ;  then,  by  means  of  hooks,  attach  weight 
to  it — 28,  36,  or  48  as  desired,  and  remove  the 
weight  from  the  friction  strap  until  the  drum  moves, 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CAEDERS'  COMPANION.       37 

allowing  the  same  weight  to  remain  on  the  friction 
strap  while  winding  the  doffer  fillet  from  the  drum 
to  the  cylinder  ;  and  this  weighing  of  power  must 
be  repeated  often,  as  the  same  weight  and  strap  are 
not  sure  to  give  the  same  power  on  two  different 
days,  owing  to  a  different  state  of  the  atmosphere. 
Licker-ins,  if  the  fillets  are  set  with  diamond  wire 
and  need  no  grinding,  may  be  drawn  as  tight  as 
the  leather  will  bear.  The  teeth  seldom  break  out. 
If  they  are  set  with  round  wire,  and  consequently 
must  be  ground,  the  same  plan  recommended  for 
doffers  may  be  pursued  with  them. 

Tops,  before  they  are  clothed,  should  be  carefuly 
jointed,  and  the  plates  set  out  of  wind ;  and  when 
old  clothing  is  removed,  before  new  is  put  on,  they 
should  go  through  the  same  process,  as  wood  can- 
not be  depended  on  to  stay  exactly  where  it  is  left 
year  after  year.  Top  clothing  needs  very  little 
drawing.  No  ratchet,  or  treadle,  is  necessary.  A 
weight  of  from  6  to  9  pounds,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, may  be  attached  to  the  strap  running 
through  the  levers  of  the  clothing  pliers,  and  is 
sufficient,  convenient  and  gives  the  clothing  a  uni- 
form drawing.  If  there  is  thin,  or  spongy,  leather, 
it  will  of  course  draw  down  a  little  more  ;  but  never 
mind ;  it  is  of  more  importance  to  have  the  cloth- 
ing properly  drawn  than  it  is  to  have  a  nice,  straight 
edge  simply  to  look  at ;  and  the  same  is  true  of 
all  other  sheet  clothing,  whether  it  be  main  cylin- 
ders, tops,  or  strip  cards ;  and  strip  cards  need  less 
drawing  than  tops,  because  the  leather  is  thinner 
and  the  teeth  not  so  closely  set,  and  they  do  the 
work  of  stripping  better  to  be  a  little  loose.  Every 
class  of  cards,  and  every  card,  should  be  carefully 
set  up  after  the  clothing  is  finished,  whether  it  is 
to  be  ground  or  not,  as  teeth  that  are  out  of  place 
are  rather  a  damage  than  a  benefit  to  any  card. 


38       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

The  clothing  for  tops  on  a  breaker  should  be  set 
with  different  sized  wire,  according  to  position. — 
Nos.  1  and  2,  No.  29  wire ;  Nos.  3  and  4,  No.  30 
wire ;  Nos.  5  and  6  with  No.  31  wire,  and  the  re- 
mainder with  No.  32  wire — same  as  main  cylinder 
and  doffer.  A  licker-in  should  be  set  with  No.  26 
diamond  wire.  When  cards  are  clothed  with  fillets, 
a  scraper  should  be  run  round  between  the  coils,  to 
make  sure  that  there  is  no  lapping  of  one  coil  on 
the  edge  of  another. 

All  the  above  has  reference  to  leather  clothing ; 
there  are  many  other  materials  used  to  set  card 
teeth  besides  leather ;  but  as  these  vary  so  much — 
some  very  good,  and  others  very  poor ;  some  giving 
no  trouble  whatever,  and  others  always  troublesome 
— no  general  rules  can  be  given  ;  the  carder  must 
be  governed  by  circumstances. 

GRINDING. 

After  clothing  comes  grinding ;  and  there  are 
about  as  many  different  opinions  as  to  the  best 
method  of  grinding  as  there  are  different  men  who 
have  this  business  in  charge.  That  this  branch  has 
been  greatly  improved,  within  the  last  thirty  years, 
no  one  who  has  had  experience  in  it  will  d'eny ;  and 
the  end  is  not  yet.  Many  of  our  improvements 
were  discovered  by  accident,  or  were  brought  about 
by  the  force  of  circumstances.  Under  the  old  sys- 
tem, when  the  driving  pulley  on  the  main  cylinder 
was  24  inches  in  diameter,  the  driven  pulley  on  the 
grinder  2  inches,  and  the  speed  of  the  main  cylin- 
der 120  revolutions  per  minute  (making  the  speed 
of  the  fancy  grinder  1440  revolutions  in  the  same 
space  of  time):  those  were  days  that  tried  men's 
patience  and  sadly  injured  cards.  It  used  to  re- 
quire from  four  to  six  weeks  to  grind  a  new  card ; 
then  two  or  three  days  must  be  spent  in  ^^strickling," 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       39 

to  take  the  barb  off  the  points  of  the  teeth,  and  it 
was  poorly  done  at  that ;  for  when  cards  were  new, 
it  was  expected  that  they  would  have  a"  wire  edge," 
as  it  used  to  be  called.  They  did  not  card  well, 
strip  well,  or  do  anything  well.  When  cards  of  a 
more  modern  plan  began  to  be  introduced,  with 
driving  pulle}'  on  the  main  cylinder  16  inches  in- 
stead of  24,  we  used  to  grind  better,  quicker,  and 
our  cards  worked  better,  stripped  better  and  were 
better,  in  every  way.  The  speed  of  the  grinder 
was  reduced  by  this  arrangement  from  1440  to  960 
revolutions  per  minute. 

But  was  this  change  made  for  that  purpose? 
Probably  it  was  not ;  but  it  did  benefit  us  in  that 
particular.  Probably  few  carders  ever  attributed 
it  to  slower  speed.  The  author  of  this  work 
did  not.  When  the  Parker  traverse  grinder  was 
introduced  it  was  found,  by  actual  trial,  that  one  of 
this  kind  (7  inches  in  length,  instead  of  37  inches 
— the  length  of  the  fancy  roller  grinder)  would 
grind  a  card  much  quicker  and  in  a  more  satisfac- 
tory manner  than  the  fancy  grinder  ever  had  done 
the  same  work.  Carders  began  to  inquire  into  the 
reason  for  this.  Something  was  claimed  for  the 
new  kind  of  traverse,  and  something  belonged 
there,  no  doubt ;  but  it  was  evident  that  the  new 
traverse  should  not  be  credited  with  the  whole  im- 
provement. There  was  something  else  to  be  taken 
into  account ;  and  that  something  else  was  the 
comparative  low  speed  of  the  Parker  grinder.  It 
had  a  5  inch  driven  pulley  instead  of  a  2  inch, 
making  the  speed  576  revolutions  per  minute  on 
the  24  inch  driver  and  384  with  a  16  inch  driver. 
Probably  Mr.  Parker  never  thought  that  slow  speed 
would  facilitate  grinding ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  very  likely  he  made  calculation  to  drive  his 
grinder  as  fast  as  it  could  be  driven,  consistent  with 


40       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

its  construction.  Happy  for  him  and  all  manufac- 
turers, it  would  not  admit  of  the  old-fashioned  high 
speed  ;  and  to  this  fact  alone  much  of  its  superi- 
ority over  the  old,  long  grinder  may  be  justly  at- 
tributed. This  is  not  all  :  We  have  learned  to 
drive  all  kinds  of  grinders  slower  than  formerly, 
and  we  are  constantly  reaping  the  advantages 
which  this  system  affords.  And  have  we,  at  this 
date,  arrived  at  perfection  in  this  particular  ?  Who 
shall  say  we  have  ?  Perhaps  from  350  to  400 
revolutions  per  minute  is  slow  enough  to  drive  a 
5  inch  grinder ;  but  it  has  been  the  opinion  of  the 
author,  for  some  years  past,  that  we  might  make 
another  equally  valuable  improvement  by  driving 
our  cylinders  slower  and  allowing  the  grinder  to 
retain  its  present  speed.  In  nearly  all  other  kinds 
of  grinding  and  polishing,  with  either  emery  or 
stone,  the  emery  roll,  or  stone,  is  driven  at  high 
speed,  and  the  article  to  be  ground,  or  polished,  is 
driven  slow.  How  is  it  with  grinding  spindles,  or 
other  iron  and  steel  rods,  or  cylinders,  with  a  stone 
or  emery?  The  grinder  moves  ftist, and  the  article 
to  be  ground  moves  slow.  Why  should  grinding 
cards  be  an  exception  to  all  other  kinds  of  grind- 
ing ?     Can  any  one  tell  ? 

Several  years  ago  the  author  experimented  con- 
siderably in  this  particular.  In  18G6  he  had  an 
extra  stud  fastened  in  a  large  plate  and  the  plate 
fixed  to  the  frame  of  a  card  about  to  be  ground, 
and  on  the  stud  were  two  sets  of  pulleys — one  set 
driven  from  the  main  shaft  overhead,  and  the 
other  set  smaller,  which  drove  the  main  cylinder, 
thus  reducing  the  speed  of  cylinder  while  grind- 
ing ;  and  the  result  was  that  cards  ground  by  the 
slower  process  were  ground  better,  worked  better 
and  gave  better  satisfaction  in  every  way.  He  is 
still  experimenting;  he  has  not  yet  arrived  at  a 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       41 


point  where  he  can  say, ''  Eureka,"  but  he  is  satis- 
fied that  a  slower  speed,  at  some  point  below  where 
we  now  grind  cylinders,  would  be  beneficial. 

A  small  counter-shaft  might  be  placed  immedi- 
ately over  the  card,  from  whic^h  the  cylinder,  dofFer 
and  grinder  could  be  driven  at  any  desired  speed. 
The  present  pattern  of  the  Hardy  grinder,  with  the 
small  pulley  on  the  screw,  necessitating  a  tight  belt, 
often  causes  a  little  jump  in  the  grinder  when  the 
lacing,  or  hooks,  pass  over  it.  The  remedy  is  a 
large  pulley,  both  driving  and  driven.  Care  should 
be  taken,  in  adjusting  any  kind  of  a  grinder  to  a 
card,  to  have  all  the  nuts  and  bolts  thoroughly 
screwed  up,  so  that  the  grinder  may  remain  firm 
in  place  while  grinding.  If  it  gets  loose,  it  makes 
very  bad  work  in  a  short  time. 

The  first  step  towards  good  grinding  is  a  good 
grinder,  properly  made,  perfectly  true  and  straight, 
and  perfectly  balanced.  If  it  lacks  any  of  these 
qualities  it  will  not  be  a  good  grinder.  Grinders 
constructed  of  tin  are  seldom  quite  round.  To  make 
them  so,  first  paint  and  let  it  dry.  Prepare  a  leather 
fillet  three  fourths  of  an  inch  wide  and  fix  it  on 
the  grinder  with  glue,  giving  the  fillet  all  the  strain 
it  will  bear.  When  it  has  had  time  to  dry,  place 
in  a  frame  and  run  it  in  its  own  bearings  or  boxes, 
and  drive  it  with  its  own  pulley  at  a  high  speed — 
as  high  as  it  is  calculated  to  run  while  grinding. 
Fix  a  rest  its  entire  length  ;  then  with  a  sharp 
chisel,  or  plain  iron  regulated  by  a  guard  outside 
the  rest,  turn  it  off  round  and  straight ;  paint  the 
leather,  let  it  dry,  and  repeat  until  the  grain  is 
filled  and  the  surface  smooth.  When  this  is  ac- 
complished, put  on  a  coat  of  old  copal  varnish  and 
wind  it  with  twine,  while  the  varnish  is  green. 
After  it  is  dry  it  is  ready  for  the  emery.  A  grinder 
prepared  in  this  manner  will  last  years,  if  care  is 


42       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION. 

taken  with  it.  Especially  be  careful  not  to  let  it 
lie  long  in  hot  water,  in  removing  a  coat  of  emery. 

All  kinds  of  grinders  should  be  painted  and 
wound  with  twine  previous  to  clothing  with  emery, 
whether  they  need  any  leather  or  not;  and  the 
twine  should  be  wound  into  green  varnish  in  all 
cases.  The  best  emery  for  clothing  grinders  is 
No.  10  English  emery ;  and  only  one  coat  should 
be  put  on  at  any  one  covering.  No  sizing  should 
be  used  on  a  coat  of  emery,  if  it  is  desired  to  have 
it  grind  well.  If  it  is  sized,  it  will  soon  glaze  over 
and  become  an  old,  worthless  grinder,  while  it 
should  and  would  be  a  good,  effective  one  without 
any  size. 

It  is  sometimes  said  by  carders  that  their  "  emery 
won't  stick"  without  sizing.  [See  recipe  for  making 
glue  in  Chapter  Sixth.] 

In  covering  a  grinder  everything  should  be  in 
readiness  beforehand,  so  that  there  may  be  no  delay 
after  the  work  of  clothing  has  commenced,  and  it 
is  better  to  have  help  enough  to  rush  it  a  little. 
Spread  the  glue  evenly  over  the  surface  of  the 
grinder  and  put  the  emery  on  copiously,  keeping 
the  grinder  moving  slowly  all  the  time.  After  the 
emery  is  all  on,  roll  it  with  an  iron  roller  and  keep 
the  grinder  moving  slowly  round  for  a  half-hour  or 
more  after  the  clothing  is  all  over.  This  prevents 
the  glue  from  settling  down  on  the  lower  side  of 
the  grinder,  as  it  will  surely  do  if  left  at. rest  im- 
mediately after  the  emery  is  put  on.  A  grinder 
should  be  allowed  to  dry  48  hours  after  being  cov- 
ered before  using.  When  first  started  hold  a  piece 
of  pine  wood  on  it,  to  knock  off  any  high  kernels 
of  emery  that  may  adhere  to  it. 

It  is  important  in  grinding  cards  to  have  good 
men  to  attend  to  it,  as  well  as  good  grinders  and 
grinding  machines  ;  both  are  called  grinders — ma- 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CAEDERS'  COMPANION.       43 

chines  and  men.  A  man  in  order  to  be  a  good 
grinder  must  have  good  eyes  and  quick  ears, 
especially  the  latter,  as  much  depends  on  hearing 
in  adjusting  a  grinder  properly.  He  must  be  a 
man  of  a  mechanical  turn  of  mind,  and  must  be 
interested  in  his  work.  The  best  grinders  are  those 
who  commence  to  work  about  cards  in  youth  and 
are  promoted  from  one  position  to  another  until 
they  are  promoted  to  grinders.  In  this  manner 
they  may,  and  do,  acquire  a  sort  of  general  knowl- 
edge of  the  business  before  actually  entering  upon 
it  that  is  almost  indispensable.  A  new  hand — a 
man  who  comes  from  outside,  from  other  business — 
will  rarely  make  as  good  a  grinder  as  one  who  has 
been  brought  up  in  the  carding-room. 

The  time  required  to  grind  a  new  card,  or  an  old 
one,  depends  upon  circumstances.  If  the  cylinders 
are  perfectly  true  and  in  balance,  the  grinder  good, 
properly  applied  and  the  clothing  even,  it  will  grind 
very  quick — sometimes  in  10  or  15  hours.  If  any 
of  these  good  qualities  are  lacking,  it  will  take 
longer,  and  in  proportion  to  the  deficiency.  When 
the  cylinders  are  out  of  true,  or  out  of  balance,  as 
is  often  the  case,  it  will  and  often  does  take  from 
five  to  twenty  times  as  long  to  grind  a  new  card 
as  it  would  if  all  were  right.  And  that  is  not  the 
worst  feature  of  it :  in  such  a  case  one  side  of  the 
cylinder  is  often  necessarily  ground  more  the  first 
tfme  than  would  be  necessary  to  grind  it  in  ten 
years  if  it  had  been  true  and  balanced.  Good,  nice 
cards  are  injured  and  often  break  out  the  first 
time  grinding  for  the  above  reason,  and  no  other. 
But  they  must  be  ground  until  all  the  parts  are 
finished. 

There  are  other  causes  of  cards  breaking  out 
besides  being  out  of  true,  or  out  of  balance.  The 
wire  of  which  the  clothing  is  made  may  be  poor ; 


44       WILSON'S  COTTOK  CAKDERS'  COMPANION. 

there  may  be  a  hard  splice  in  the  leather ;  they 
may  be  ground  too  hard  or  too  long,  as  they  often 
are.  Some  of  these  causes  the  carder  has  no 
control  over,  and  knows  nothing  of  until  the 
results  appear ;  and  when  they  appear,  they  must 
be  met  as  best  they  can.  But  a  carder  should 
insist  on  having  his  cylinders  true  and  balanced, 
on  having  good  clothing,  and  grind  no  longer  or 
harder  than  is  necessary. 

Sometimes  card  clothing  rises  and  causes  great 
vexation.  There  used  to  be  an  opinion  that  there 
was  something  mysterious  about  this  matter — 
something  that  could  not  be  explained  or  even 
understood.  Rising  is  not  confined  to  any  partic- 
ular kind  of  clothing  or  cylinders.  Sheets,  fillets, 
main  cylinders  and  dofFers,  all  rise,  or  are  liable  to 
rise,  and  one  as  much  as  another.  But  different 
kinds  require  different  treatment.  When  sheets 
rise,  they  must  be  drawn  over;  there Js  no  other 
cure.  It  is  sometimes  curious  to  see  a  little  patch 
rise  in  a  sheet  when  all  the  rest  of  the  teeth  are 
down  in  their  places — perhaps  two  or  three  little 
patches ;  it  may  be  half-a-dozen,  more  or  less — in 
some  instances  only  a  few  teeth  in  a  place.  When 
this  is  the  case,  the  high  teeth  are  forced  back  with 
a  card-brush,  a  gauge,  and  sometimes  with*a  piece 
of  soft  pine  board  ;  and  then  the  cylinder  is  turned 
by  hand  or  started  very  carefully,  until  filled  with 
cotton ;  afterwards  they  will  sometimes  run  until 
another  grinding.  At  other  times,  this  has  to  be 
repeated  until  the  patience  of*  the  grinder  is  ex- 
hausted, and  he  calls  his  overseer  or  the  second 
hand ;  and  the  two,  and  sometimes  three,  work  for 
hours  together  to  get  a  card  of  this  kind  started. 
There  may  be  a  little  refractory  group  of  teeth 
that  will  rise  every  time  the  cylinder  is  started 
until  the  operators  are  all  worked  up  into  a  fever. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       45 


when  perhaps  an  excited  carder  takes  a  hammer 
and  pounds  them  down  solid  and  walks  away  to 
his  bench,  declaring  there  is  something  mysterious 
about  card-teeth  rising ;  that  he  never  saw  any  one 
who  could  explain  it ;  he  don't  believe  that  any- 
body knows  or  ever  will  know  why  it  is. 

A  main  cylinder  clothed  with  a  fillet  will  some- 
times act  about  as  bad,  and  the  same  is  sometimes 
true  of  a  doflfer.  The  author  of  this  work  has 
had  experience  in  all  these  kinds  of  rising ;  and 
although  he  has  sometimes  been  terribly  tried,  he 
never  pounded  down  any  card-teeth  with  a  ham- 
mer ;  but  he  has  set  himself  at  work  to  find  the 
cause,  and  after  a  long  and  diligent  search  found 
it,  and  is  now  able  to  cure  every  case  with  com- 
parative ease.  But  he  prefers  preventive  to 
cure.  If  main  cylinders  clothed  with  sheets  are 
drawn  tight  enough,  when  first  put  on,  they  will 
seldom  rise ;  if  they  do,  they  must  be  drawn  over, 
as  teeth  are  liable  to  rise  if  the  leather  is  loose ; 
hut  ihey  can  never  rise  if  it  is  tight.  The  author 
once  clothed  some  cards  in  a  hurry  with  clothing 
made  in  a  hurry,  and  poor  stock  at  that,  as  it 
proved.  These  cards  (especially  main  cylinders) 
after  being  ground  roilnd  about  three  times  began 
to  rise  in  the  most  annoying  manner.  The  grinder 
was  directed  to  remove  the  tacks  from  the  back  of 
a  sheet  that  was  in  trouble  of  this  kind,  and  do  it 
so  caiefully  as  not  to  disturb  the  teeth,  and  allow 
a  peep  to  be  taken  at  the  underside,  to  ascertain 
exactly  how  they  looked  and  what  position  they 
were  in.  This  peep  explained  the  whole  mystery. 
First,  the  leather  was  loose  and  had  risen  up  by 
centrifugal  force ;  second,  some  of  the  teeth  went 
up  with  it,  retaining  their  position  j  third,  the 
leather  had  slipped  up  on  other  teeth  and  left 
them,  the  lower  ends   resting  on  the   cylinder; 


46       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEBS'  COMPANION. 

fourth,  the  teeth  that  were  set  tight  enough  in  the 
leather  to  retain  their  original  position  were  the 
ones  that  we  supposed  had  risen,  and  those  that 
lay  on  the  cylinder  seemed  as  they  usually  appear 
when  they  are  all  right. 

It  will  be  readily  understood  that  drawing  over 
is  the  only  remedy ;  but  it  should  be  carefully 
done ;  there  is  danger  of  drawing  cards  too  tight 
the  second  time.  If  the  teeth  all  retain  their 
places  in  the  leather,  then  it  is  said  that  the  sheets 
huff  up,  and  there  is  no  mistake  about  it.  Such 
readily  show  when  they  need  drawing  over.  There 
is  another  trouble  with  sheets :  sometimes  there 
will  be  a  spot  in  the  middle  huffed  up  when  all  th 
rest  of  it  seems  to  be  right ;  and  it  is  frequently 
the  case  that  such  sheets  are  drawn  over  and  the 
trouble  continues.  Such  cases  are  usually  caused 
by  a  soft  or  spongy  spot  in  the  leather,  and  the 
rest  all  firm ;  in  such  cases  the  drawing  over  does 
not  affect  it.  When  this  occurs  search  out  the 
boundary  line  of  the  soft  spot  in  the  leather ;  draw 
out  a  row  of  teeth  on  either  side ;  slit  it  up  with  a 
knife ;  then  draw  that  particular  place,  and  the 
trouble  is  cured. 

Fillets  will  rise  occasionally  when  they  seem  to 
be  tight  enough,  and  are  tight  enough,  and  the 
cause  of  the  rising  is,  they  crowd.  Cloth  fillets 
are  more  apt  to  do  so  than  leather,  but  the  latter 
is  not  entirely  free  from  it.  A  strip  of  cloth  or 
leather,  either  by  frequent  pulling  or  straining,  gets 
loose  on  the  edges,  and  whefi  two  edges  come 
together  there  is  a  tendency  to  rise  ;  and  these  are 
often  drawn  over  without  removing  the  evil.  When 
a  fillet  acts  in  that  manner,  draw  over  lightly  and 
lay  it  apart ;  let  a  thin  piece  of  iron  run  between 
the  edges  as  it  is  being  drawn,  and  the  trouble 
will  disappear. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       47 


I  Cards  having  been  once  ground  down  need  but 
little  grinding  at  any  one  time  afterwards,  unless 
they  get  jammed,  faced,  have  to  be  drawn  over  or 
something  unusual  happens  to  them.  The  old  plan 
msed  to  be  to  grind  about  so  long  any  way.  Some 
lused  to  grind  two  days,  others  a  day  and  a  half,  and 
others  still  a  day.  This  plan  is  all  wrong.  The 
more  a  card  is  ground,  after  it  has  been  brought 
to  the  right  condition  (that  is,  the  teeth  ground  to 
a  point)  the  worse.  They  may  need  to  be  ground 
an  hour  or  two,  perhaps  three  hours,  but  never 
grind  a  minute  after  the  teeth  have  been  brought 
to  a  sharp  point.  It  is  difficult  to  grind  too  often, 
but  very  easy  to  grind  too  long.  Cylinders  do  not 
usually  suffer  so  much  from  over-grinding  as  do 
tops,  as  they  are  ground  on  a  more  scientific  plan. 
The  cylinder  moves  quickly  and  the  card  moves 
slowly  over  it,  and  as  a  consequence  they  grind 
faster,  and  before  the  grinder  is  aware  of  it  they 
are  often — yes,  almost  always — ground  too  much. 
The  writer  has  seen  tops  spoiled  in  a  few  months — 
ground  down  to  the  knee.  Grinders  should  be 
constantly  cautioned  about  grinding  tops.  Sliding 
across  the  grinding  cylinder  about  a  half-dozen 
times  is  sufficient,  as  a  general  rule.  It  is  well  to 
have  two  grinding  machines  set  close  together, 
where  it  is  practicable  to  do  so,  and  require  each 
grinder  to  run  two  while  grinding  a  set  of  tops. 
They  will  usually  grind,  in  this  manner,  about  as 
fast  as  they  can  be  changed.  Licker-ins,  if  set 
with  diamond  wire,  need  no  grinding,  unless  they 
get  badly  faced. 

In  setting  a  card  up  ready  for  work,  first  clean 
it  nicely — then  set  the  doffer  as  near  as  it  will  run 
without  touching  the  main  cylinder  and  secure  it 
firmly,  so  that  it  will  not  get  out  of  place  while  at 
work.     Next  set  the  tops,  commencing  with  those 


48       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

nearest  the  dofFer.  The  proper  way  to  set  tops  is, 
to  set  the  front  twice  the  distance  from  the  cylinder 
that  the  back  is  set ;  this  plan  brings  the  nearest 
point  about  two-thirds  from  front  to  back,  and  this 
part  should  be  set  as  close  as  it  will  run,  down  to 
No.  5,  and  from  there  to  No.  1  set  off  a  very  little 
farther ;  in  other  words,  tops  should  be  set  so  that 
they  will  fill  even.  If  it  is  found  that  they  load 
too  heavily  on  the  front,  raise  them  a  little  ;  and  on 
the  other  hand,  if  the  fronts  fill  scant,  lower  them. 
Care  should  be  taken  to  have  every  top  set  square 
on  all  the  screws^  so  that  there  may  be  no  rocking. 
If  workers  and  strippers  are  used,  they  should  be 
set  as  near  as  they  will  run  without  touching,  and 
the  same  of  licker-ins.  On  a  finisher-card  the  top 
feed  roller  should  be  set  as  close  to  the  cylinder  as 
it  will  run,  and  no  play  should  be  allowed  to  the 
caps  in  the  roll  stands.  On  breakers,  where  licker- 
ins  are  used,  set  the  bottom  roll  the  nearest — the 
same  as  a  top  roll  in  a  finisher. 

When  everything  has  been  adjusted  ready  to 
start,  turn  the  cylinder  backwards  by  hand  to  make 
sure  that  it  don^t  come  in  contact  with  anything 
about  it.  This  precaution  will  save  many  a  card 
being  faced,  as  it  takes  but  a  short  time  when  a 
cylinder  is  running  at  full  speed  (points  first)  and 
rubs  the  doffer,  tops  or  rollers,  to  spoil  the  points, 
and  the  work  of  grinding  has  been  all  lost  in  that 
case ;  and  worse  than  that,  it  has  sustained  a  per- 
manent injury.  Set  combs  just  near  enough  to 
clear  the  doffer. 

THE   AMOUNT    OF    WORK   FOIL   A    CARD. 

As  to  the  quantity  of  cotton  a  card  will  work 
in  a  day,  there  are,  perhaps,  more  opinions  than 
about  any  other  one  question.  We  find  them 
carding  from  30  to  160  pounds,  under  different 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       49 

circumstances  and  conditions  according  to  the  kind 
of  card  used  and  the  kind  of  work  to  be  made. 
There  is  also  a  great  difference  in  the  amount 
carded  with  the  same  machines,  and  the  same  kind 
of  work  in  different  places  and  under  different 
management.  The  question  whether  it  is  best  to 
card  cotton  once  or  twice  is  still  unsettled  and 
open  for  discussion.  There  are  many  very  strong 
advocates  of  the  former  plan,  and  perhaps  just  as 
marly  and  just  as  strong  advocates  of  the  latter 
plan.  Many  manufacturing  establishments  have 
changed  from  single  to  double  carding,  and  perhaps 
an  equal  number  have  changed  from  double  to 
single ;  and  still  others  which  have  changed  back 
and  forth  more  than  once,  while  some  have  both 
kinds  at  work.  With  all  these  trials  cotton  manu- 
facturers as  a  class  are  undecided  which  plan  is 
best.  There  are  individuals,  and  some  manufac- 
turing concerns,  who  think  they  have  settled  the 
question  so  far  as  they  are  concerned ;  and  no 
doubt  they  have.  But  as  some  have  settled  it  one 
way,  and  others  another,  the  inquirer  is  still  in  the 
fog,  because  each  party  who  thinks  he  has  settled 
the  question  claims  that  his  way  is  right  and 
that  the  others  must  be  wrong,  so  the  discussion 
goes  on. 

Perhaps  a  little  reflection  on  the  part  of  those 
interested  would  go  far  towards  solving  this  prob- 
lem.  If  the  position  assumed  in  this  work  is 
correct,  viz :  that  cotton  needs  to  be  worked  just 
enough  to  clean  and  straighten  it,  and  no  more, 
the  question  naturally  arises  at  this  point — Are 
we  carding  cotton  too  much  now  ?  If  we  are,  it 
is  a  very  easy  matter  to  card  less,  or  rather,  put 
more  cotton  through  a  card  than  we  are  now  do- 
ing ;  and  this  can  be  carried  to  any  desired  ex- 
tent without  resorting  to  single  carding.     On  the 


50  '    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

other  hand,  if  we  are  not  carding  cotton  enough 
to  accomplish  the  desired  result,  we  can  put  a  less 
quantity  through  each  card,  though  of  course  this 
latter  plan  would  call  for  more  cards. 

Are  we  carding  cotton  too  much  ?  Let  the 
cloth  answer.  Are  there  not  black  specks  enough 
in  it  ?  If  we  find  by  examination  that  there  are 
not,  we  can  increase  them  by  carding  heavier — 
giving  each  card  more  work  to  do — and  it  matters 
but  little  whether  it  is  single  or  double  carding, 
but  the  little  difference  that  it  does  make  is  in 
favour  of  double  carding.  By  the  double  process 
we  get  a  better  mixing,  which  is  certainly  an  ad- 
vantage if  that  was  all.  But  it  is  not ;  for  by  the 
double  carding  process  we  reverse  the  fibre  and 
operate  on  both  ends  instead  of  one ;  and  that  is 
a  second  advantage  over  the  single  process.  The 
author  is  aware  that  some  of  our  English  friends 
advocate  as  little  reversing  of  staple  as  possible  in 
the  process  of  preparation  ;  but  he  is  not  yet  con- 
vinced that  this  theory  is  correct — indeed  he  is 
strongly  of  the  opposite  opinion,  and  has  arrived 
at  this  conclusion  after  a  fair  trial  of  both  plans. 
Moreover,  he  is  of  the  opinion  that  whoever  will 
give  this  matter  a  fair  and  impartial  trial  will 
come  to  the  same  conclusion. 

The  contrast  between  double  and  single  carding 
is  best  seen  in  the  yarn  and  cloth  ;  and  let  it  be 
understood  that  this  difference  is  always  noticeable 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree  where  everything  is 
managed  in  a  proper  manner — single  cards  doing 
half  the  work  of  double  ones  each,  as  they  always 
should  do,  other  things  being  equal,  wherever  and 
whenever  this  system  is  adopted.  What  has  killed 
single  carding  in  many  places  has  been  trying  to 
do  as  much  on  each  card  in  this  manner  as  double 
ones  are  accustomed  to  do.     It  will  be  very  readily 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CAKDERS'  COMPANION.       51 

seen  that  by  this  plan  the  carding  is  increased  50 
per  cent,  which  is  rather  more  than  it  will  bear 
profitably,  as  a  general  thing.  As  has  been  before 
remarked,  if  we  are  carding  too  much  we  can  card 
less.  But  where  is  the  concern  that  can  stand  an 
increase  of  50  per  cent,  and  live  through  it? 
Many  have  tried  it  and  signally  failed. 

The  difference  between  double  and  single  card- 
ing is  :  First,  rougher  yarn  from  single  than  double ; 
second,  dirtier  yarn  ;  third,  spinning  does  not  run 
as  well ;  fourth,  the  cloth  is  not  as  smooth,  or  clean, 
from  single  as  from  double  carding.  It  is  true  that 
yarn  made  from  single  carding,  other  things  being 
equal,  will  stand  a  greater  tension  on  a  yarn-tester 
than  double ;  and  the  reason  may  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  fibre  has  not  been  worked  so  much. 
But  this  advantage  is  more  than  balanced  by  the 
amount  of  dirt  in  it,  causing  it  to  run  badly  through 
every  process  it  passes.  Another  advantage  of 
double  over  single  carding  is,  the  cotton  has  to  be 
handled  over  more  times,  and  in  every  handling 
some  dirt  is  rattled  out,  and  without  damage  to 
the  fibre  either.  Of  course,  in  estimating  the 
amount  a  card  will  do  in  a  day  or  a  week  much 
depends  on  the  kind  of  cotton  used.  Dirty,  nubby 
cotton  requires  more  carding  than  clean.  Much 
depends  on  the  kind  of  card  used  ;  the  greater  the 
working  surface  and  the  more  cylinders,  tops,  and 
workers,  the  more  it  will  card.  There  are  a  great 
variety  of  cards  and  likely  to  be  aiore  before  there 
are  less.  Two  gentlemen  of  this  city  (Lowell, 
Mass.)  have  invented,  and  are  now  (October,  1875) 
building  a  new  kind  of  card ;  the  cylinder  36  in- 
ches ;  but  it  has  two  licker-ins  and  double  the 
number  of  tops  in  a  Wellman  self-stripper.  It 
remains  to  be  seen  what  it  will  do,  but  it  seems  to 


52       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

be  a  step  in  the  right  direction.     The  name  of  this 
firm  is  Fo^s  &  Pevey. 

The  kind  of  goods  to  be  made  has  something  to 
do  with  the  amount  of  cotton  carded  in  a  given 
time.  If  the  goods  are  fine  and  light,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  card  more  than  if  heavy  and  coarse.  On 
print  goods  64  x  64,  seven  yards  to  the  pound,  a 
36-inch  card  will  do  a  pound  and  a  half  to  an  inch 
in  length  of  cylinder  per  day  on  ordinary  kind  of 
stock,  and  do  it  very  well,  too,  double  carding.  If 
single,  then  half  the  above  quantity.  When  cards 
are  kept  sharp  and  in  shape  every  way,  they  will 
do  very  much  more  work  (and  do  it  well)  than  they 
will  if  allowed  to  run  dull  and  out  of  place.  The 
beauty  of  a  card  of  any  kind  is  to  have  it  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  readily  seize,  and  as  readily  let  go, 
the  cotton,  and  if  they  do  the  first,  they  will  usu- 
ally do  the  second  ;  and  to  do  either,  there  must  be 
a  fine  needle-point  on  the  teeth.  If  the  points  are 
barbed,  or  as  denominated,  have  a  wire  edge,  they 
will  do  neither.  Cotton  may  be  forced  through 
such  cards,  but  it  will  not  be  carded.  It  will  be 
ground  or  jammed  through,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
make  good  work  of  such. 

A  licker-in  is  a  very  useful  appendage  to  any 
card.  The  stout,  diamond-pointed  wire,  or  the  saw 
teeth,  such  as  are  in  use  in  some  places,  take  hold 
of  the  cotton  first,  loosen  it  out  and  throw  consid- 
erable dirt  down  on  the  floor.  It  is  well  to  cut  out 
a  space,  five-eighths  of  an  inch  wide,  under  the  bot- 
tom feed  roller,  to  allow  the  dirt  to  fall  outside  the 
card-frame,  instead  of  inside,  to  be  mixed  with  the 
flyings,  making  it  necessary  to  pass  them  through 
other  machinery  to  again  separate  them  from  dirt. 
When  it  has  once  been  thrown  out  (in  the  manner 
described)  we  have  done  with  it,  and  it  will  be 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION.       53 


swept  up  and  carried  to  the  waste-house,  where  it 
belongs,  and  the  licker-in  is  no  longer  troubled 
with  it,  but  can,  and  does,  pass  the  cotton  to  the 
cylinder  minus  this  dirt,  thus  saving  wear  and  tear 
of  card  clothing,  and  leaving  it  at  liberty  to  do  its 
best  with  the  cotton.  The  above  idea  originated 
with  Asa  B.  Lyford,  a  carder  on  the  Merrimack 
Corporation,  in  Lowell. 

Goodwin  &  Atkinson's  Patent  Mofe-Collector  is 
a  useful  appendage  to  a  finisher-card.  It  is  much 
more  effective  on  finishers  than  breakers;  or,  in 
other  words,  it  is  more  effective  where  there  are  no 
licker-ins  than  with  cards  that  have  licker-ins.  A 
strip  of  common  cotton  cloth,  four  double  and  about 
an  inch  and  a  fourth  wide,  so  fastened  to  a  self- 
stripping  card  as  to  just  touch  the  top,  will  keep 
them  very  free  from  dust  and  lint,  which  it  will 
collect  in  a  roll  that  may  be  removed  twice  a  day. 
It  also  prevents  much  dirt  'from  being  brushed  off 
by  the  hands  who  clean  cards,  which  is  usually 
brushed  or  blown  into  the  gearing,  and  into  the 
work  again. 

Great  annoyance  has  been  experienced  by  card- 
ers in  not  being  able  to  properly  distribute  the 
drawing  on  the  railway  aprons  in  both  breakers 
and  finishers ;  and  it  is  quite  as  important  in  the 
one  as  the  other ;  for  if  the  cotton  goes  up  to  the 
lap-head  uneven,  it  will  make  an  uneven  lap  for 
the  finisher  to  work,  straining  the  clothing  with  the 
thick  places  and  leaving  the  main  cylinder  and 
dofier  streaked,  and  making  bad  work  generally, 
while  in  the  finisher-boxes,  if  it  is  not  evenly  dis- 
tributed, it  tries  the  top  rollers  in  the  railway  head 
and  will  not  draw  evenly,  and  will  soon  injure  the 
rollers  so  that  they  will  not  do  good  work.  Kenf  s 
Card  Guide  is  a  very  great  help  in  this  particular. 
But  the  humble  author  of  this  work  invented  a 


5* 


64       WiL^ON>  COTTON  CAKDERS^  COMPANION. 

card  guide,  some  four  or  five  years  ago,  that  is 
better  than  any  he  has  ever  seen.  There  is  no 
patent  on  it,  and  probably  never  will  be,  and  there 
is  only  one  at  work  at  present,  and  there  never  have 
been  any  more ;  but  if  the  world  stands  a  while 
lono^er,  and  cotton  manufacturinor  continues,  there 
will  be  likely  to  be  more  of  them  in  use.  A  gen- 
tleman made  some  changes  in  the  author's  guide, 
and  there  are  a  number  of  those  at  work  in  the 
Merrimack  Manufacturing  Company's  carding- 
rooms,  which  are  working  very  well.  But  the 
original,  as  built  b\'  the  author,  possesses  three 
important  advantages  over  all  others  that  he  has 
seen.  First,  it  is  less  expensive  than  any  other  ; 
second,  it  is  more  convenient  ;  third,  it  is  more 
effective,  doing  exactly  what  is  desired  to  a  hair's 
breadth,  while  the  others  have  to  be  moved  just  so 
much,  if  moved  at  all.  It  is  claimed  by  some 
carders  that  if  the  ends  are  once  properly  distrib- 
uted and  put  in  right  shape  they  wnll  always  be 
right :  but  a  little  reflection  will  convince  any  one 
that  we  need  an  adjustable  card  guide — one  that 
by  the  touch  of  the  thumb  can  be  changed — as 
almost  every  day  a  different  card  in  the  same  row 
is  stopped  to  grind,  causing  a  derangement  of  the 
whole  sheet  unless  some  convenient  plan  for  re-ad- 
justment is  adopted.  The  card  guide  spoken  of 
can  be  seen  at  work  in  Xo.  6  Carding-Room,  Merri- 
mack Manufacturing  Company,  Lowell. 

Another  source  of  annoyance  to  carders,  and 
waste  to  owners,  is  the  cotton  dropping  down  at 
the  ends  of  the  doffer  on  to  the  railway  box  or  the 
floor,  as  the  case  may  be.  This  trouble  can  be 
remedied  by  a  little  care  in  clothing  new  cards,  or 
a  little  change  in  old  ones.  If  the  clothing  on  the 
doffer  is  a  trifle  shorter  than  that  of  the  main  cyl- 
inder, the  trouble  ceases.     Where  the  clothing  of 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       55 

the  dolFer  reaches  out  beyond  that  of  the  main 
cylinder,  the  dropping  takes  place  as  the  currents 
of  air  produced  by  the  revolutions  of  the  main 
cylinder  blow  some  cotton  on  to  the  surplus  ends 
of  doffer  clothing,  and  it  is  knocked  off  by  the 
comb  on  to  the  railway  box  or  floor,  instead  of  go- 
ing into  the  work  properly  carded  as  it  would,  and 
will  go,  if  the  two  surfaces  agree,  or  if  the  doffer 
is  slightly  shorter  than  the  main  cylinder. 

STRIPPING    CARDS. 

Stripping  cards  has  undergone  considerable 
change  within  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  in  more 
than  one  particular.  The  old  style  used  to  be  to 
strip  tops  by  hand  once  in  12  or  15  minutes — half 
the  tops  on  each  card.  It  is  now  mainly  done  by 
power.  Wellman's  and  other  self-strippers  have 
come  into  very  general  use,  and  very  properly,  too, 
as  the  work  is  done  much  cheaper  than  formerly 
and  quite  as  well,  and  the  speed  can  be  regulated 
so  as  to  strip  more  or  less  often  to  suit  the  taste  of 
those  who  have  the  management  of  them.  The  old 
time  has  been  doubled,  or  rather  the  stripping  has 
been  doubled  in  most  places.  One-half  of  the  tops 
are  now  stripped  by  power  once  in  8  to  10  min- 
utes. The  author  is  of  the  opinion  that  one-half 
the  present  stripping  might  profitably  be  dispensed 
with.  It  may  seem  to  be  a  strange  idea  to  many, 
but  a  little  examination  into  the  facts  of  the  case 
will  certainly  do  us  no  harm,  and  we  may  possibly 
learn  a  valuable  practical  lesson  from  such  an  ex- 
amination. Let  any  one  who  thinks  it  worth  his 
while  try  the  following  experiment :  Take  a  top 
from  any  part  of  a  card,  front  or  back — a  top  that 
has  mn  its  full  time  and  ought  to  be  stripped,  ac- 
cording to  rule,  because  it  has  been  working  10, 
1 5  or  20  minutes,  as  the  case  may  be ;  strip  it  clean 


£,v       ^iLS03rS  COTTOS  CASDEBS'  CO:j£PiL3IIOy. 

■ad  canrfnlty  whk  m  land  card,  weigh  the  waste 
rtiipped  <^  <m  a  nice  pair  of  roving  scales  and  write 
dofwii  the  number  of  grains  it  weighs  ;  then  replace 
IJbe  top  Jttd  let  it  remain  in  place  exactly  one  min- 
wAt  Vj  the  watch  ;  remove  and  strip  as  before, 
iPOgiiiBg  tiie  waste,  and  it  will  be  found  that  it 
weighs  50  per  cent  as  much  as  the  fonner  weigb- 
Biig  did.  Now,  if  this  is  the  case  (and  no  one  is 
a^ed  to  believe  it  until  he  has  tried  it),  what  does 
il  skofv  !  Simply  that  the  dean  top  helped  itself 
finrst  cotton  that  came  along  by  it  untfl  it  was 
t»  a  certain  d^ree;  and  if  the  waste  is 

oiined,  it  will  be  found  to  be  almost  as  good 
Li.n  as  there  is  in  the  room.  Suppose  we  strip 
all  the  tops  as  rapidly  as  possible  by  hand  and  con- 
tinue the  opera tioB  a  few  minutes,  we  shall  find  we 
have  gready  fcafiCBcd  the  weight  of  the  drawing 
defifvred  by  the  ewd,  whether  it  be  a  breaker  or 
a  inher.  What  does  this  diow  ?  That  a  great 
fflttt  of  the  eottoD  can  be  stripped  off  &om  the  tope, 
if  thej  are  stripped  often  enough.  Well,  what  have 
we  learned  by  these  experiments  ?  We  have  learned 
t^s,  it  would  seem :  that  it  takes  a  c*ertain  amount 
of  eotloii  to  fill  a  top  up  to  a  working  condition,  and 
certain  amount  of  cotton  is  as  good  as  any 
carded ;  and,  also,  that  the  top  will 
to  catch  dirt,  nubs,  leaf^  and  nits,  just 
08  wen  for  a  considerable  time  afterwards.  Who 
knows  how  long  !  Evidently  more  than  36  or  46 
minutes.     This  is  probably  a  new  idea  to  many  if 

*/>  most  of  carders  and  manufacturers  in  general 
j^iMK  it  is  worth  trying,  and  may  prove  useful  K 
Aie  theory  is  correct,  it  is  no  use  talking  about 
stripping  Ae  hwm  tofie  oftener  than  those  higher 
np^  -^  ^^*«  been  advocated  by  some.  The  author 
hoe  .  cards  to  run  two  hours  with  the  strip- 

per wlamim^heSmt  pcfoaving  any  difference  in 


( 


WILSOX'S  OOTTOr  CASDESE'  COMPASIOK-       57 

je  working  of  the  (jard  He  will  not  lay  down 
any  role  to  strip  t  *  js  bj^  but  thinks  the  time  now 
occupied  may  pniitably  and  safely  be  double  the 
present,  or  in  other  words,  strip  tops  one-half  aB 
much  as  the3'  are  stiipped  now — ^profitably,  becanMC 
good  cotton  will  be  saved,  the  percentage  of  waste 
will  be  smaller,  and  the  wear  and  teai*  of  machineiy 
le  y.  because  he  thinks  they  will  remove  as 

much  axil  as  they  do  now. 

There  is  one  serious  objection  to  putting  the 
speed  of  a  Wellman  stripper  down  yery  low,  to  se- 
cure slow  or  less  stripping.  If  it  is  slow  it  keeps 
the  top  ofi^  the  card  too  loDg.  If  some  plan  could  be 
devised  lu  niuve  the  stripper  slowly  from  one  top  to 
another,  at  the  same  time  having  a  change  of  speei 
to  do  the  stripping,  so  as  to  rise,  stiip  and  replace 
the  top  quickly,  a  great  advastige  vwld  be  gained. 
Perhaps  there  are  such  stiippere  in  the  country ; 
there  will  probably  be  more.  Mr.  George  H. 
Chandler,  asa^aiit  superintendent  at  the  Merri- 
mack MaDufjicturing  Company's  works,  has  a  plan 
in  his  mind,  and  is  now  at  work  on  it,  having  this 

]d  in  view.  Breaker  cards,  as  a  general  thii^ 
need  more  stripping  than  finishers — both  tops  and 
cylinders- 

With  regard  to  stripping  cylinders,  it  continues 
to  be  done  mostly  by  hand;  but  we  strip  veiy 
much  less  than  we  used  to  do  in  former  years. 
The  first  the  writer  heard  about  any  change  was 
-  me  eight  or  nine  yeai's  ago,  when  an  old  associate 
_  illed  on  him  who  wjis  then  running  a  large  rc»om 
iD  all  aijoining  State  We  had  not  met  for  years, 
and  tliis  ^-  -  "  _     ^  le  meetii^;  m»d,  in  a 

hurried  11  ind  answered  a  great 

manv  qu  Among  others  he  asked,  -  How 

often  do  y.  u  snip  cylinders?''     He  was  told  once 
in  two  hours  ;  that  was  the  old  style,  and  was  con- 


58       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

siclered  the  orthodox  plan.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  try 
stripping  them  once  in  four  weeks,  or  as  often 
as  you  grind."  He  was  supposed  to  be  jesting ; 
but  he  added,  "  I  am  in  earnest ;  and  that  is 
as  often  as  I  strip  mine."  It  is  needless  to  stop 
to  describe  how  much  astonished  the  writer  was 
to  hear  such  talk,  from  such  a  source ;  but  he 
had  long  ere  that  day  made  up  his  mind  to  try 
whatever  he  heard  of  in  way  of  improvement 
if  it  seemed  reasonable,  and  sometimes  if  it  did 
not.  This  was  one  of  the  times  when  it  did  not  so 
seem  -,  but  directions  were  given  a  stripper  not  to 
strip  a  certain  cylinder  any  more  until  further 
orders;  and  it  ran  without  stripping  until  the  time 
of  grinding,  some  three  weeks,  and  no  perceptible 
difference  was  discovered  in  the  work  of  that  card. 
It  was  watched  daily — almost  hourly.  One  day, 
while  the  carder  was  at  his  desk,  marking  down 
time,  near  night,  a  stripper  came  up  and  said  he 
was  desired  to  say  to  the  overseer  a  certain  grinder 
wanted  to  leave.  .  He  was  asked  what  the  trouble 
was.  "  0,"  said  he,  ""  he  is  on  a  job  he  thinks  he 
will  never  live  to  finish,  and  he  wants  to  leave  be- 
fore he  is  '  killed  entirely.' "  ^*  Well,  what  is  he 
doing  ?  "  "  Stripping  that  cylinder  that  has  run 
so  long  without  stripping."  The  cylinder  was  ex- 
amined, and  there  was  plenty  of  time  to  examine 
it  before  the  bad  job  was  completed.  It  stripped 
hard — very  hard,  so  hard  indeed  that  the  carder 
was  fearful  that  the  clothing  would  be  injured 
before  the  stripping  was  completed ;  and  it  was 
thought  it  had  run  too  long  without  stripping.  No 
others  were  tried  for  the  same  length  of  time ;  but 
they  were  tried  at  shorter  periods  until  one  day  was 
settled  down  on  as  the  proper  time  for  a  cylinder 
to  run  without  stripping.  The  writer  has  adopted 
that  plan,  and  practised  it  for  a  number  of  years. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       69 

having  one-half  the  cylinders  stripped  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  the  other  half  in  the  afternoon — every 
other  cylinder  in  each  row.  Perhaps  cylinders 
might  run  longer  than  that,  under  some  circum- 
stances— as  for  instance  where  the  work  is  light 
and  the  cotton  clean ;  under  other  circumstances 
it  might  not  be  often  enough,  where  the  work  is 
heavy  and  the  cotton  dirty.  No  positive  rule  can 
be  laid  down  that  will  be  .safe  to  follow  in  all  cases. 
The  carder  must  exercise  his  own  judgment.  But 
there  are  two  or  three  things  which  are  pretty  cer- 
tain :  first,  the  cases  are  very  rare  where  it  is 
necessary  to  strip  cylinders  once  in  two  hours,  as 
we  used  to  do ;  second,  the  cases  are  rare  where 
they  can  be  profitably  run  four  weeks,  or  three 
weeks,  without  stripping  ;  third  and  last,  but  not 
least,  all  kinds  of  stripping,  whether  cylinders  or 
tops,  and  whether  they  are  stripped  often  or  other- 
wise, one-half  should  be  stripped  at  a  time — every 
other  top  on  a  card,  and  every  other  cylinder  in 
the  same  row,  for  the  reason  that  every  stripping 
makes  the  work  lighter  for  the  time  being,  and 
where  alternate  tops  or  cylinders  are  stripped,  it 
affects  the  work  less  than  if  they  were  all  stripped 
at  about  the  same  time. 

The  question  of  placing  screens  under  cylinders, 
or  not  placing  them  there,  or  anywhere  else,  has 
been  considerably  agitated  at  different  times  and 
in  different  places.  Some  use  them ;  others  do  not. 
They  had  a  very  general  popularity  once.  Now 
they  are  popular  in  some  places,  and  in  others  they 
are  not.  The  author  has  used  them,  has  nothing 
to  say  against  the  principle,  rather  likes  it,  and  if 
screens  are  properly  made,  of  the  right  material, 
he  has  no  doubt  they  might  be,  and  perhaps  are,  a 
benefit.  Screens  made  of  wire  netting  did  not 
work  satisfactorily  with  him  ;  there  was  too  much 


60       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

of  a  tendency  to  bed  over  and  stop  everything 
going  through  them ;  then  they  v^ere  no  longer 
screens,  but  a  sort  of  under-casing,  that  keeps  too 
much  dirt  in  the  work.  Cleaning  often  enough 
will  obviate  this  difficulty ;  but  it  is  necessary  to 
do  it  so  often  it  becomes  burdensome.  Zinc,  with 
round  or  other  holes  punched  in  it,  is  objectionable, 
because  it  is  so  difficult  to  make  the  edges  of  the 
holes  smooth  that  it  is  hardly  ever  done  perfectly, 
and  the  result  is  cotton  dirt  clings  to  them  and 
soon  stops  them  up,  though  they  are  not  as  bad  as 
wire  netting.  A  cast-iron  rack,  made  of  bars  and 
set  in  grooves  that  conform  in  shape  to  the  surface 
of  the  cylinder — the  bars  made  three-cornered,  flat 
side  next  to  cylinder,  and  two  sharp  edges  forming 
the  edges  of  the  openings  set  three-eighths  of  an 
inch  apart,  and  the  other  sharp  edge  down,  and  the 
general  surface  of  the  rack  five-eighths  of  an  inch 
fVom  the  cylinder — works  well  under  some  cylinders. 
There  is  probably  no  reason  why  such  a  rack  would 
not  work  well  under  a  main  cylinder  of  a  card  if 
placed  there.  Such  a  rack  would  not  probably  get 
clogged  up  very  easily. 

Any  kind  of  screens  now  in  use  can  be  run  ad- 
vantageously, if  sufficient  care  is  taken  to  keep 
them  clear.  One  very  common  error  is  placing 
them  too  near  the  cylinder  surface.  They  should 
not  be  placed  less  than  five-eighths  of  an  inch  from 
it.  If  waste  from  the  cards  is  to  be  re-worked  at 
all  there  should  be  as  much  of  it  kept  in  the  work, 
as  it  is  passing,  as  is  possible  to  keep  in ;  or, 
rather,  it  is  best  to  keep  the  fibre  in,  and  let  the 
dirt  out.  Screens  will  do  that  on  common  kinds 
of  cards. 

The  speed  of  main  cylinders  varies  considerably 
under  different  circumstances  and  as  managed  by 
different  men.   If  there  are  no  screens  under  main 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CAKDEKS'  COMPANION.       61 

cylinders  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  revolutions 
per  minute  for  a  36-inch  cylinder,  or  in  that  pro- 
portion for  other  sizes,  is  about  right.  If  such 
cylinders  run  much  faster  than  that  they  throw 
off  too  much  waste ;  if  they  run  much  slower  they 
do  not  clean  the  cotton  well.  Tf  there  are  screens, 
they  may  run  as  high  as  a  hundred  and  fifty  or 
sixty,  without  harm,  and  they  clean  the  cotton 
better  on  high  than  they  do  on  low  speed.  The 
surface  of  the  main  cylinder  should  exceed  the 
licker-in  speed  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  per  cent. 
The  draught  of  cards  varies  as  much  as  speed. 
They  will  draw  as  much  as  they  are  asked  to  do, 
as  a  general  thing ;  and  yet  it  is  not  best  to  go  to 
extremes  in  either  direction — not  too  low  nor  too 
high ;  from  sixty  to  eighty,  as  a  general  thing,  is 
about  right  for  the  draught  of  a  card  of  ordinary 
dimensions.  If  we  have  a  thin  lap  and  conse- 
quently must  have  a  low  draught,  it  necessitates  a 
slow  speed  of  the  doffer,  and  the  cylinder  will  not 
clear  well.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have  a  very 
thick,  heavy  lap,  making  it  necessary  to  have  a 
high  draught,  the  lap  being  so  thick  is  not  held  firm- 
ly enough  between  the  rollers  to  be  well  carded. 
It  will  draw  off  in  flakes,  more  or  less ;  so  it  is 
best  to  have  a  medium  draught,  if  possible  The  idea 
that  cotton  passes  round  a  cylinder  several  times, 
before  being  taken  off  by  the  doffer,  is  fully  be- 
lieved in  by  many  carders  and  spinners.  But  the 
author  of  this  work  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
cotton  that  passes  the  doffer  once  is  either  thrown 
off  under  the  cylinder  in  the  shape  of  flyings,  or 
it  sticks  to  the  main  cylinder  and  remains  until 
removed  by  the  card  of  the  stripper  in  the  shape 
of  main  cjiinder  waste.  If  the  feed  and  doffer 
be  stopped  for  any  length  of  time  and  the  cylinder 
and  the  top  stripping  goes  on,  the  doffer  will  re- 


62       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

ceive  a  little  additional  streak  of  waste,  and  the 
cylinder  will  throw  some  of  its  waste  upon  the 
newly  stripped  tops ;  but  when  everything  is  in 
motion,  what  the  doffer  does  not  take  off  when  it 
first  reaches  it,  does  not  come  at  all  in  that  way. 
If  any  one  wishes  to  see  how  cotton  looks,  and 
what  kind  of  a  condition  it  is  in,  after  passing 
by  the  doffer  several  times,  their  curiosity  can 
be  gratified  by  drawing  the  dofier  off  from  the 
cylinder  a  thirty  second  of  an  inch,  and  allowing 
it  to  run  in  that  manner  a  few  minutes.  But  it 
will  be  at  the  expense  of  the  cotton  so  carded. 
It  can  be  seen  in  another  way :  Grind  the  card 
hard  enough  to  barb  the  points  of  the  teeth  so  that 
the  cylinder  will  not  clear,  and  the  same  result 
will  follow.  The  Gbre  will  be  ruined  in  either 
case.  The  beauty  of  a  card  of  any  kind  is  to  have 
it  so  arranged  as  to  readily  seize  the  cotton  and 
as  readily  let  it  go,  when  the  proper  time  comes  ; 
in  other  words,  it  should  clear  well — nothing  be 
allowed  to  load  except  tops,  and  allow  them  to 
load  with  dirt,  leaf  and  other  foreign  substances 
instead  of  cotton. 

"How  often  is  it  necessary  to  grind  cards?"  is 
a  question  frequently  asked.  Well,  the  question 
can  be  asked  quicker  than  it  can  be  properly  an- 
swered. As  a  general  thing  they  should  be  ground 
often  enough  to  keep  them  in  good  working  order ; 
but  that  is  very  indefinite ;  and  another  question 
is  immediately  asked — "  Well,  how  often  is  that  ?" 
That  depends  entirely  upon  circumstances.  If  a 
card  is  properly  ground  and  adjusted,  no  one  part 
rubbing  or  chafing  against  another,  and  it  is 
carefully  managed,  not  over-loaded,  and  good 
stock  well  prepared  in  the  picker,  it  will  run 
a  month  without  grinding,  or  between  grindings, 
very  well.    But  if  ground  once  in  two  weeks  they 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       63 

would  work  better  ;  or  one  week,  better  still.  In- 
deed it  would  be  difficult  to  grind  too  often,  if  the 
grinding  is  properly  done.  There  is  no  time  a 
card  works  so  well  as  it  does  the  first  day  after  it 
is  ground. 

When  we  used  to  have  fewer  cards,  card  heavier 
than  now,  on  the  same  kind  of  work,  we  ground 
oftener,  and  it  was  necessary  to  do  so,  too.  A 
grinder  in  those  days  used  to  have  26  cards  to 
grind  ;  and  he  got  around  with  them  once  in  two 
weeks  or  thereabouts,  generally  grinding  two  cards 
per  day.  Those  were  the  old  wooden-framed  cards, 
which  were  not  as  reliable  as  iron  frames  or  as 
easily  managed.  Nowadays  we  have  modern  cards, 
card  lighter  than  formerly,  consequently  have 
more  of  them  ;  and  a  grinder  has  from  60  to  60 
cards  to  take  care  of,  and  he  should  grind  15  per 
week ;  and  that  usually  keeps  them  in  very  good 
condition. 

In  taking  care  of  cards  much  depends  on  the 
thoroughness  and  skill  of  the  grinder.  If  when 
he  sets  a  card  up,  he  does  it  in  such  a  manner  that 
everything  remains  in  place  until  the  time  comes 
to  grind  it  again,  it  will  be  in  a  comparatively 
good  condition.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  things  have 
been  left  loose — not  properly  adjusted,  and  those 
that  have  been  properly  adjusted  not  properly 
secured,  and  move — the  doffer,  rolls,  or  tops  get  on 
the  cylinder,  the  points  are  soon  spoiled,  and  the 
card  will  not  work  satisfactorily.  To  be  sure,  the 
cotton  goes  through  ;  but  it  will  not  be  carded  :  it 
will  be  ground  through.  It  is  impossible  to  make 
good  yarn  of  cotton  which  has  not  been  properly 
carded.  No  future  process,  either  in  the  carding 
room  or  the  spinning  room,  will  remedy  such  an 
evil  as  that. 


64       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

How  often  to  re-clothe  grinders  is  another  ques- 
tion. Some  carders  allow  their  fancy  or  Hardy 
grinders  to  run  a  long  time  ;  some  a  year,  and 
others  not  so  long.  The  writer  is  of  the  opinion 
that  a  fancy  five-inch  grinder  should  generally  be 
re-clothed  once  in  three  months,  and  a  twelve-inch 
top  grinder  once  a  year ;  a  Hardy  traverse  at  least 
once  a  month.  A  grinder  should  not  be  allowed 
to  run  so  long  as  to  get  glazed  over.  If  they  do, 
they  are  of  very  little  service,  and  will  not  grind 
satisfactorily.  The  regular  motions  may  be  gone 
through  with,  but  a  card  will  not  grind  well  with 
an  old,  smooth,  glazed  grinder ;  and  if  it  is  not 
ground  it  will  not  work  well. 

Whether  to  re-use  old  emery  is  another  question. 
It  is  contended  by  some  that  emery  will  not  come 
the  same  side  up  tw^o  different  times — that  it  is 
just  as  well  to  use  it  a  second  time.  But  let  us 
see  :  Is  it  not  just  as  likely  to  come  the  same  side 
up  twice,  as  it  is  to  change  sides  ?  Of  course  it 
is ;  and  for  that  reason,  if  for  no  other,  it  should 
not  be  used  a  second  time — so  it  seems  to  the 
writer. 

How  long  shall  we  run  old  card  clothing,  is  an- 
other important  question.  A  cylinder  has  become 
short,  some  teeth  are  broken  out,  tops  have  got 
worn  short,  or  a  doffer  is  broken  out  in  spots.  At 
what  stage  shall  it  be  renewed  ?  As  soon  as  it 
begins  to  work  badly.  It  is  not  profitable  to  run 
card  clothing  so  long  that  it  makes  bad  work — 
not  even  one  card,  for  one  bad-working  card  will 
often  injure  the  work  of  a  whole  section.  But  a 
good  manager  may  use  his  old  clothing  all  up  by 
taking  a  little  pains.  When  a  majority  of  the 
sheets  in  a  main  cylinder  become  bad,  remove  the 
whole  and  re-clothe  with  new  sheets ;  but  pick  out 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       65 

the  tolerably  good  sheets  and  lay  them  by.  When 
another  main  cylinder  is  found  with  a  part  of  the 
sheets  in  a  bad  condition,  remove  the  bad  ones  and 
replace  with  those  that  have  been  saved  out  of  the 
last  lot.  It  is  necessary,  however,  to  exercise  great 
care  in  the  selection  of  sheets  to  patch  up  with. 
Those  longer  than  the  original  should  never  be 
used  ;  but  if  they  are  shorter,  one  or  more  strips 
of  cloth  or  paper  may  be  laid  under  them,  stuck 
with  thin  glue  to  Ijold  them  in  place  until  the 
clothing  is  put  on.  A  gauge  or  card  calipers  may 
be  used  to  ascertain  the  length  of  teeth  accurately. 
Tops  may  also  be  patched  in  the  same  manner, 
without  the  necessity  of  measuring  the  length  of 
the  teeth,  as  they  can  be  set  to  accommodate  dif- 
ferent lengths  without  difficulty,  so  far  as  carding 
and  grinding  is  concerned.  It  is  necessary,  how- 
ever, that  tops  should  all  take  into  the  strip  card 
alike.  To  accomplish  this  a  nice  little  arrange- 
ment has  been  made  by  placing  two  set  screws  in 
the  plate ;  the  heads  are  slotted  and  may  be  ad- 
justed by  a  gauge  made  for  the  purpose,  so  as  to 
work  on  the  jaw  of  the  stripper  and  allow  the  top 
to  take  into  the  strip  card  exactly  right — no  mat- 
ter whether  the  teeth  are  long  or  short.  This  is 
the  invention  of  Jabez  Edwards,  a  veteran  carder 
on  the  Merrimack  Corporation. 

The  speed  of  the  different  parts  of  a  card,  so  far 
as  rollers  and  doffer  are  concerned,  depends  upon 
the  draught.  The  speed  of  a  main  cylinder  may 
be  the  equivalent  of  125  revolutions  per  minute 
for  a  36-inch  main  cylinder  when  tops  are  used, 
and  150  with  workers  and  cleaners,  or  workers  and 
strippers.  It  is  a  fact  that  main  cylinders  are  ran 
much  faster  than  the  above  in  many  places,  and  it 
is  claimed  that  they  work  well,  even  better  than 
when  run  at  a  lower  speed  ;  and  it  will  not  be  dis- 


66       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

puted.  The  writer  has  tried  high  speed  for  main 
cylinders,  and  has  no  fault  to  find  with  their  work, 
but  they  throw  off  a  great  quantity  of  waste  where 
there  are  no  screens,  and  they  get  a  terrible  bat- 
tering when  anything  gets  into  them  beside  cotton, 
as  will  sometimes  "happen  in  the  best-regulated 
families." 

There  should  be  just  draught  enough  between 
the  lap  roll  and  feed  roll  to  keep  the  lap  straight. 
Say  two-hundredths  of  one  or  one  and  two-hun- 
dredths,  as  figures  would  express  it.  The  same 
between  the  comb  and  calender  rolls,  where  there 
are  such,  or  between  the  comb  and  apron,  where 
there  are  no  calender  rolls. 

The  principal  drawing  should  be  done  between 
the  feed  rolls  and  dofFer ;  it  can  be  done  there  to 
almost  any  extent  without  injury ;  but  when  cot- 
ton is  passing  in  a  sheet  or  sliver  any  considerable 
distance  it  should  not  he  drawn.  But  this  subject 
will  be  considered  more  at  length  under  the  head 
of  drawing  and  speeders. 

Cards,  like  everything  else  that  is  used  much, 
need  washing  sometimes.  All  the  iron  work  and 
the  lower  wood  work  may  be  washed  with  soap 
and  water ;  but  water  should  never  be  applied  to 
tops,  as  it  is  very  apt  to  cause  them  to  spring. 
Rub  tops  with  waste  made  damp  with  benzine  or 
spirits  of  turpentine ;  afterwards  rub  with  waste 
made  damp  with  raw  linseed  oil.  When  done  with 
both  kinds  of  such  waste  either  burn  it  in  the  fires 
under  the  boilers  or  throw  it  in  the  river,  as  it  is 
very  unsafe  to  be  kept  wnth  other  Avaste.  Never 
try  it ;  for  it  may  take  fire. 

A  Avell-arranged  carding  engine  is  almost  as 
much  of  a  marvel  in  its  operation  as  a  modern 
picker.  It  takes  the  cotton  as  left  by  that  ma- 
chine in  the  shape  of  a  lap  or  sheet,  receives  it 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION.        67 

very  slowly  and  turns  it  out  in  the  shape  of  a 
sliver  or  continuous  roll,  and  very  clean.  This  is, 
in  fact,  the  last  regular  cleansing  process.  It  is 
true  that  some  dirt  rattles  out  of  it  as  it  passes 
from  one  machine  to  another,  and  through  them. 
But  the  great  cotton-cleanser  is  the  card  ;  all  the 
little  nits,  or  neps,  that  cling  to  the  fibre  through 
the  card  continue  to  cling  to  it  until  they  reach 
the  cloth  ;  hence  the  great  importance  of  keeping 
cards  sharp  and  fti ,  good  working  order  all  the 
time,  for  no  other  machine  that  succeeds  the  card- 
ing will  do  the  work  of  the  card. 

There  are  various  kinds  of  cards  in  use  in  dif- 
ferent places,  and  something  is  claimed  by  different 
men  who  have  from  time  to  time  improved  upon 
Arkvvright's  and  Slater's  cards ;  but*  that  those 
gentlemen  made  so  long  a  step  in  this  particular 
at  the  beginning,  that  less  has  been  done  by  way 
of  improving  cards,  within  the  last  twenty  or  thirty 
years,  than  has  been  accomplished  in  other  depart- 
ments, is  a  fact  well  known  to  all  acquainted  with 
cotton  manufacturing.  The  self-stripper  is  about 
all ;  otherwise  we  are  doing  the  carding  by  about 
the  same  methods  as  it  was  done  thirty  years  ago. 
We  don't  card  quite  as  heavily,  but  the  general  plan 
is  nearly  the  same.  If  some  cotton-working  Rip 
Van  Winkle,  who  was  laboring  in  a  mill  forty  years 
ago,  had  fallen  into  a  sleep  and  should  wake  up  now 
(October,  1875)  and  be  placed  in  a  dressing-room, 
he  would  hardly  know  where  he  was,  or  remember 
that  he  had  ever  seen  anything  like  it.  Put  him 
into  a  spinning-room,  and  he  would  probably  re- 
member a  little  more.  He  would  of  course  know 
the  weaving  by  the  noise.  But  place  him  in  the 
carding-room,  and  he  would  feel  at  home.  Rail- 
ways and  the  present  lap  heads  would  look  a  little 


68       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

odd,  but  the  familiar  look  of  the  cards  would  set 
him  right  at  once. 

There  are  two  principal  cards  now  in  use :  the  card 
with  tops  or  flats,  as  they  are  often  called,  and  the 
roller  cards,  or  cards  without  flats,  and  instead  small 
cylinders,  called  workers  and  strippers  or  workers 
and  clearers.  Both  kinds  have  very  strong  ad- 
vocateS;  but  the  former  are  the  most  •  numerous. 
Workers  and  strippers  have  been  placed  under  the 
main  cylinder  by  some,  as  well*  as  on  the  top.  But 
it  has  been  found  by  actual  trial  that  they  don't 
work  very  well.  Within  the  last  year  two  gentle- 
men of  this  city  (Lowell,  Mass.)  have  been  study- 
ing on  an  improvement  in  carding;  in  other  words, 
on  an  improved  card.  They  have  succeeded  in 
bringing  out  a  machine  that  certainly  promises 
well.  It  is  a  common  36-inch  main  cylinder,  but 
instead  of  being  placed  in  a  square  frame,  like  a 
common  card,  it  is  placed  on  a  kind  of  pedestal  or 
foot,  so  that  a  large  portion  of  the  cylinder  under- 
neath can  be  seen  and  easily  handled  by  a  little 
stooping.  The  doifer  is  placed  a  little  higher  than 
in  an  ordinary  card  ;  the  feed  is  under  the  doffer. 
There  is  a  regular  licker-in,  and  between  it  and 
the  main  cylinder  is  another  cylinder,  a  little  larger 
than  the  licker-in;  which  takes  the  cotton  from  the 
licker-in,  and  the  main  cylinder  takes  it  from  that. 
Under  both  these  little  cylinders  there  are  racks, 
in  the  form  of  screens.  The  licker-in  rakes  the 
cotton  down,  as  it  takes  it  from  the  feed  rolls.  The 
main  cylinder  rakes  down  as  it  takes  the  cotton 
from  the  second  little  cylinder.  Underneath  the 
main  cylinder,  from  the  point  where  it  takes  the 
cotton  from  the  second  little  cylinder,  is  placed 
what  would  generally  be  called  tops,  but  in  this 
case  it  would  be  more  proper  to  call  them  flats, 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       69 

twenty  in  number,  and  an  equal  number  en  top, 
reaching  over  to  the  dofFer,  from  which  it  will  be 
seen  that  this  card  has  double  the  usual  amount  of 
flats  and  an  extra  cylinder.     This  seems  to  be  aji 
improvement.      It  is  certainly  most  skilfully  ar- 
ranged, taking  advantage  of  the  laws  of  nature 
in  getting  rid  of  dirt — throwing  it  down  instead 
of  carrying  it  up  and  over,  as  is  the  case  with  an 
ordinary  card.     There  is  a  small  space   between 
where  the    second    cylinder    delivers  the    cotton 
to  the  main  cylinder  and  the  under  set  of  flats.    A 
rack  or  screen  has  been  placed  there,  under  the 
main  cylinder ;  but  as  this  cylinder  acts  altogether 
differently  from  a  common  one,  inasmuch  as  it  car- 
ries its  whole  load  down,  the  centrifugal  force  drives  a 
portion  of  good  cotton  down  through  the  rack,  and 
it  must  be  a  very  fine  rack  to  work  there.     In  a 
common  card  the  main  cylinder  takes  the  load  up 
under  the  tops  or  rollers,  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
then  delivers  it  to  the  dofFer.     A  screen  or  rack 
may  be  placed  under  such  a  cylinder  as  that,  and 
as  the  cylinder  is  comparatively  empty,  not  much 
good  cotton  can  be  thrown  through  it.    But  it  will 
readily  be  seen  that  this  is  a  different  affair.  Twelve 
of  these  cards  were  put  into  No.  1  Carding-Room, 
on  the  Merrimack  Corporation,  of  Lowell,  Mass., 
a  few  weeks  since,  and  put  to  wotk  by  the  side  of 
twelve  finishers.     These  cards  are  supplied  w^ith 
laps  from  the  picker,  and  are  conse*quently  what 
may  be  called  single  cards,  or  single  carding.    The 
work  is  being  kept  by  itself,  for  the  purpose  of 
testing  and  comparison.    They  have  not  been  run- 
ning long  enough  yet  to  enable  one  to  come  to  any 
definite  conclusion  as  to  their  real   merits.     But 
they  certainly  promise  well  thus  far.     It  puzzles 
the  oldest  heads  to  pick  out  the  drawing  or  roving. 
The  spinner  reports  that  the  work  runs  well,  and 


70       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION. 

the  yarn  tests  well — a  little  stronger  than  the 
double  carding.  What  it  will  do  in  the  way  of 
preparing  material  for  good,  smooth,  clean  cloth 
remains  to  be  seen,  although  there  is  no  doubt  but 
they  will  do  much  better  business  than  ordinary 
single  cards. 

The  writer  has  been  somewhat  prejudiced  against 
single  carding  for  some  years,  having  had  some 
unpleasant  experience  with  i.t  during  three 
years,  at  one  period  of  his  life.  Trying  to  card 
too  much  to  a  card  was  what  did  the  mischief  in 
that  case ;  and  the  same  complaint  has  troubled 
many  another  man,  and  other  concerns  besides  the 
one  where  this  occurred.  The  trial  has  often  been 
made  on  this  wise  :  to  increase  the  work  of  the 
same  kind  of  a  card  one  hundred  per  cent. ;  that 
is,  make  one  card  do  the  work  of  two.  It  has 
almost  always  been  found  to  be  too  much  to  work 
well.  But  the  kind  of  card  just  spoken  of  is  new 
and  has  many  advantages  over  the  old  ones.  First, 
the  arrangement  for  feed  is  very  much  better — 
the  licker-in  and  main  cylinder  both  working 
down;  second,  nearly  the  whole  surface  of  the 
main  cylinder  is  at  work  all  the  time  ;  third,  there 
are  two  entire  sets  of  flats,  half  of  them  under  the 
cylinder  instead  of  on  top  in  which  position  they 
are  much  more  effective.  There  is  an  arrangement 
by  which  the  bottom  flats  are  stripped  twice  to  the 
top  set  once,  though  the  stripping  is  all  done  by 
one  set  of  double-acting  cams.  It  is  claimed  by 
the  builders  (Foss  &  Pevey)  that  this  card  will  do 
seventy-five  per  cent,  more  work  than  an  ordinary 
card,  and  equally  as  well ;  that  is,  in  the  propor- 
tion of  four  cards  to  seven,  whether  carding  single 
or  double.  There  is  at  present  no  one  prepared  to 
dispute  the  claim.  If  this  claim  is  met,  or  the  ex- 
pectation of  the  builders  realized,  it  will  be  seen 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       71 

that  a  great  saving  of  floor-room  will  be  made  as 
well  as  power,  appurtenances  and  help  to  run  the 
machines,  though  of  course  help  would  not  be  re- 
duced in  regular  proportion.  If  they  do  more 
work,  it  is  more  work  to  tend  them,  and  they  must 
also  be  ground  oftener  to  keep  them  in  good  order. 
But  this  card  is  a  long  way  ahead  9f  the  old  kind, 
as  it  is  now ;  and  it  is  not  completed  yet.  The 
builders,  and  those  who  may  have  charge  of  them, 
will  think  of  a  great  many  improvements  that 
will  be  suggested  from  time  to  time  by  working 
with  them. 

This  card  has  a  decided  improvement  in  the  way 
of  driving  the  stripper.  It  is  so  arranged  that  the 
stripping  starts  and  stops  with  the  feed ;  when  the 
feed  stops  the  strippers  stop,  too,  instead  of  work- 
ing away  in  the  old  manner  until  they  have  nearly 
emptied  both  tops  and  cylinders,  causing  a  break- 
down and  light  work  when  the  feed  starts  again, 
as  they  always  do  en  the  old  plan,  if  the  cylinders 
run  any  length  of  time  with  the  feed  and  doffer 
standing. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  main  cylinder 
might  be  run  as  high  as  150  revolutions  per  min- 
ute, instead  of  125,  as  at  present,  especially  if 
there  is  a  solid  casing  put  under  it,  between  the 
second  little  cylinder,  instead  of  a  rack,  as  it  seems 
likely  there  will  be.  It  is  possible  that  this  is  the 
grand  central  point  where  the  advocates  of  both 
double  and  single  carding  may  harmoniously  meet, 
this  being  not  exactly  the  one  or  the  other,  but  a 
sort  of  compromise,  or  cross  between  the  two,  like 
Cropton's  mule. 

Whatever  kinds  of  cards  may  be  used,  it  is 
necessary,  in  order  to  secure  good  work  economi- 
cally, to  have  good,  nice  card  clothing.  Perhaps 
the  writer  may  be  allowed  to  digress  from  the  main 


72       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

object  of  this  work  enough  to  say  that  the  Lowell 
Card  Company  make  such,  and  he  speaks  advis- 
edly, as  he  has  used  this  Company's  clothing  for 
some  years,  with  entire  satisfaction. 

Another  important  qualification  for  good  carding 
is  good  grinders  :  machines  are  meant.  The  Ladd 
grinder,  built  by  Mr.  A.  H.  Saunders,  of  Nashua, 
N.  H.,  is  a  great  improvement  on  the  long  fancy 
grinder,  as  the  traverse  is  positive  and  can  be  re- 
gulated to  the  wish  of  the  operator,  is  reliable, 
more  comfortable  to  handle  and  does  better  work 
than  the  old-fashioned,  haphazard  traverse.  The 
Hardy  grinder  is  good  and  makes  a  very  nice- 
pointed  tooth.  Any  grinder  must  be  kept  in 
order  and  should  be  perfectly  true  and  straight. 

Since  the  author  commenced  this  chapter  he 
has  made  further  experiments  in  grinding.  In  a 
couple  of  stands,  rigged  up  at  the  ends  of  the 
doffer  and  nearly  over  the  comb  shaft,  is  a  little 
shaft  one  inch  in  diameter,  driven  from  the  main 
shaft  overhead.  From  this  shaft  the  main  cylinder 
is  driven  44  revolutions  per  minute,  the  grinder 
400  and  a  doffer  124,  or  thereabouts.  In  this  man- 
ner a  card  is  ground  very  nicely ;  with  any  kind 
of  a  good  grinder  they  grind  quicker  and  better, 
and  it  don't  seem  to  be  so  hard  on  the  clothing  as 
the  old  style. 

Where  breaker  cards  are  used,  and  consequent- 
ly lap  heads,  it  should  be  the  aim  of  the  carder 
to  so  guide  the  different  grists  from  railway  boxes 
into  the  frame  of  the  lap  head  as  to  make  a  uni- 
form, even  lap  for  the  finisher  cards.  If  one  laps 
over  the  other  and  there  are  thick  and  thin  stripes 
in  the  lap,  the  finisher  will  not  work  well.  The 
cylinder  will  have  stripes  in  it ;  and  the  teeth, 
where  these  stripes  form,  will  break  out  very 
soon. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       73 

Since  the  preparation  of  this  chapter  was  begun 
the  author  has  invented  another  new  card  guide. 
It  is  cheap,  convenient,  durable  and  can  be  placed 
in  any  position  within  range  of  the  railway  box  in 
a  quarter  of  a  minute.  There  is  no  patent  on  it. 
Anybody  can  make  and  use  it  who  chooses  to  do 
so;  and  another  splendid  thing  about  it  is,  it 
does  not  infringe  on  any  patent.  Take  a  piece 
of  nail  plate,  three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide  and 
long  enough  to  reach  from  the  calender  roll  to  the 
top  of  the  railway  box ;  turn  a  knee  or  elbow,  an 
inch  and  a  half  long  and  running  horizontally  close 
to  the  top  of  the  railway  box  ;  to  this  short  piece 
rivet  a  common  card  trumpet  or  eye,  such  as  is 
used  in  the  cover  of  a  railway  box  ;  drill  a  hole  in 
the  upright  part,  within  an  inch  of  the  top ;  sus- 
pend the  whole  thing  from  the  calender  roll-stand 
with  a  five  sixteenth  bolt ;  let  the  bolt  hold  it  in 
place.  In  this  manner  it  will  swing  the  entire 
width  of  the  railway  box,  and  can  be  secured  at 
any  point  by  simply  tightening  up  the  little  bolt. 
This  is  a  good  guide.  The  only  objection  to  it  is, 
it  leaves  a  hole  open  across  the  box ;  but  the  ob- 
jection is  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  hole,  so 
make  it  small ;  then  the  objection  is  small.  It  is 
of  great  importance  to  have  the  ends  from  the  cards 
uniformly  distributed  on  the  railway  aprons  of 
both  breakers  and  finishers.  A  cheap  and  conven- 
ient guide  is  necessary  to  do  this.  It  pays  to 
manipulate  them  as  often  as  cards  are  ground  or 
anything  happens  to  disarrange  the  ends  on  the 
apron. 

1  here  are  a  great  many  different  opinions  as  to 
the  best  method  of  disposing  of  waste  made  in  a 
carding-room.  Some  advocate  throwing  it  out  of 
the  work  altogether,  where  the  work  is  fine,  or 
where  it  is  desired  to  have  it  nice,  and  work  the 


74       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

waste  by  itself  into  some  coarser  material.  This 
plan  might  work  well ;  no  doubt  it  is  practised  in 
some  places. 

The  writer  has  some  few  suggestions  to  make 
at  this  point :  First,  let  the  construction,  arrange- 
ment and  management  of  carding  engines  be  such 
as  to  make  no  waste  fit  to  work  over  for  any  kind 
of  cloth  on  these  machines.  Let  cards  have  screens 
of  some  kind,  either  such  as  are  suggested  in  a 
former  part  of  this  chapter,  or  some  better  ones, 
allowing  a  space  for  dirt  to  drop  out,  but  no  fibre, 
or  so  little  fibre  and  so  short  that  it  will  not  be 
worth  working  over  for  anything.  That  plan  takes 
care  of  flyings.  Second,  cut  out  under  the  feed 
rollers  of  breakers  so  as  to  let  dirt  drop  out  there, 
before  it  goes  any  farther ;  quite  a  quantity  will 
drop  out  there.  Apply  the  mote-catcher  to  fin- 
ishers, and  empty  them  as  often  as  they  get  full. 
Third,  so  far  as  dirty  waste  is  concerned,  don't 
strip  either  tops  or  cylinders,  on  any  kind  of  cards, 
often  enough  to  remove  any  waste  that  will  be  fit 
to  work  over  in  any  kind  of  cloth.  Let  cards  run 
without  stripping  until  the  waste  is  dirty  enough 
to  go  for  batting.  Cards  will  fill  up  to  a  certain 
degree  with  good  cotton  immediately  after  they 
are  started  ;  then  they  may  run  a  long  time — much 
longer  than  is  generally  supposed — without  taking 
on  more  good  cotton,  but  will  continue  to  catch 
dirt. 

This  plan  provides  for  dirty  card  waste,  such  as 
strippings  and  flyings,  and  such  as  is  generally 
worked  over  with  the  cotton.  Such  waste  can 
never  be  mixed  with  cotton  in  so  nice  shape  as  it 
is  in  while  already  there.  Why  not  keep  it  there, 
instead  of  knocking  it  out,  carting  back  and  forth, 
re-mixing  and  re-working,  to  the  great  injury  of  the 
whole  work  ?     For  the  management  of  clean  waste. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       75 

the  reader  is  referred  to  another  part  of  this  chap- 
ter. The  writer  has  only  one  amendment  to  offer 
to  the  plan  suggested  there  ;  that  is,  instead  of 
running  it  through  a  finisher-picker,  as  is  there  re- 
commended, let  a  new  picker  be  built  on  purpose 
for  it,  with  one  beater  and  one  set  of  cylinders.  Get 
it  back  into  a  lap  as  quickly  and  easily  as  possible. 
One  thing  more  in  this  connection  :  Let  every 
carder  see  that  no  more  waste  is  made  at  any  point 
in  his  room  than  is  absolutely  unavoidable.  Every 
pound  of  waste  made  is  a  dead  loss,  so  far  as  labor 
is  concerned  ;  and  moreover  it  is  a  positive  injury 
to  the  whole  work  when  it  comes  back.  Arrange 
machines  so  that  they  will  run  well  and  have  them 
watched.     Nice  carding  is  the  soul  of  good  yarn. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
Drawing. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  —  RAILWAYS  —  ENDS  IN  THE  BOX  —  TWO 
SYSTEMS  —  GUIDES — WHERE  TO  DRAW  AND  WHERE  NOT  TO 
DRAW  —  THREE  GENlJliAL  RULES  —  HOW  MUCH  TO  DRAW 
BETWEEN  BACK  ROLLERS — EVENERS— THE  WHOLE  DRAUGHT 
OF  A  RAILWAY — AN  EXCEPTION  TO  THE  RULE — WEIGHTING 
TOP  ROLLERS —DOUBLINGS  —  SPEED  OF  FRONT  ROLLER  OF 
RAILWAY — electricity:  HOW  TO  GET  KID  OF  IT  —  TOP 
ROLLERS  —  SHELL  ROLLERS — SPEED  OF  FRONT  ROLLER  OF 
DRAWING  FRAME  —  CROWDERS  — DOUBLING  AND  DRAWING 
—  PHILOSOPHY  OF  DRAWING  —  TRAVERSE  —  CLEARERS  — 
WEIGHING    DRAWING  —  BELTS  —  GENERAL   SUMMING    UP. 

Drawing  succeeds  carding,  and  very  properly, 
too.  The  object  of  drawing  is  two-fold :  To 
straighten  and  lay  the  fibres  of  cotton  parallel. 
Whatever  a  picker  or  cards  do  to  cotton,  there  is 
one  thing  they  do  not  do,  and  that  is,  they  do  not 
straighten  the  fibre  much.  If  a  fleece  of  cotton  is 
taken  up  and  held  between  the  eye  and  the  light, 
it  w^ill  be  noticed  that  the  fibres  lie  almost  every 
way.  There  is,  perhaps,  a  slight  tendency  of  a 
majority  to  lie  a  little  more  in  one  direction  than 
another ;  but  as  for  anything  like  a  general 
straightening,  it  is  not  found  there.  Again  :  as 
cotton  comes  from  cards,  the  different  slivers  vary 
in  weight  considerably,  owing  to  a  number  of 
causes :  First,  the  laps  from  the  picker  may  vary 
a  little;  second,  all  cards  do  not  clear  equally 
well ;  third,  there  may  be  a  little  variation  in  the 
feed  rolls,  doffers,  doffer  pulleys  or  calender  rolls. 
(See  Chapter  I.)  From  all  these  causes  there  is 
a  variation  in  weight,  and  hence  the  necessity  of 
doubling ;  and  this  brings  us  to  the  second  part 
of  drawing,  viz :    To  draw  it  down    after   being 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.        77 


doubled.  When  the  doublings  of  a  mill  are  counted, 
we  begin  back  at  the  finisher-picker,  and  it  is  pro- 
per to  do  so ;  but  so  far  as  the  evenness  of  the 
work  is  concerned,  doubling  before  it  comes  to  the 
drawing  frame,  as  the  saying  is,  "  don't  amount  to 
a  row  of  pins."  It  is  a  most  excellent  way  to 
mix  cotton,  and  good  mixing  is  indispensable  to 
uniform  yarn  ;  but  so  far  as  regulating  inequalities 
of  weight  in  the  different  slivers,  it  does  not  do 
that  to  any  great  extent.  Drawing  is  a  very  im- 
portant branch  in  the  preparation  of  cotton  for 
spinning  ;  and  in  order  to  secure  good,  even  yarn, 
all  the  drawing  frames  must  be  properly  built,  well- 
proportioned,  rightly  adjusted,  kept  in  order  and 
carefully  tended. 

There  have  been,  and  are  still,  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  frames  in  use,  each  possessing  some 
merit.  These  frames  have  been  greatly  improved 
within  the  last  twenty  yeaj^s  or  more.  When  they 
were  first  brought  into  use  there  were  no  stop- 
motions  attached,  and  if  the  girl  who  attended 
them  did  not  see  an  end  when  run  through  and  so 
stop  the  frame,  it  continued  to  run  just  as  well 
with  a  portion  of  the  ends  out  as  with  them  all 
in,  but  the  work  suffered.  If  she  did  not  take  out 
the  single,  of  course  there  was  a  portion  too  light, 
and  if  she  did,  then  waste  was  made.  After  a 
time  stop-motions  were  applied  to  the  frames  in 
such  a  manner  that  when  an  end  broke  or  ran  out 
the  frame  stopped,  and  so  they  continued  to  run 
for  years ;  but  within  a  few  years  past  the  stop- 
motion  has  been  extended,  and  now  if  one  of  the 
strands  breaks  in  front,  or  if  a  bunch  comes  down 
in  front,  the  frame  stops.  The  same  principle  has 
been  applied  to  railways,  and  it  is  a  great  advan- 
tage, as  that  machine  cannot  stop  long  at  a  time 
without  great  inconvenience  and  loss. 


78       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEES'  COMPANION. 

Drawing  frames  have  been  built  in  various  shapes 
and  sizes.  We  have  them  all  the  way  from  two 
to  six  lengths  of  rollers,  and  from  three  to  six  sets. 
We  find  them  with  plungers,  cast-iron  crowders, 
coilers,  wooden  and  tin  crowders,  and  no  crowders 
at  all.  They  are  running  with  dead  weights  and 
lever  weights.  Cans  are  made  to  revolve  in  some 
machines,  and  in  others  they  are  stationary,  and 
they  vary  in  diameter  from  six  to  twenty  inches. 
There  is  a  great  variety  of  opinion  as  to  the  proper 
speed  to  run  them ;  how  much  weight  should  be 
applied  to  rollers  and  how  to  apply  it ;  how  much 
to  draw  and  where ;  how  much  to  double,  &c. 

We  have  already  considered  the  nature  of  cot- 
ton ;  it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  here.  We 
have  traced  it  in  the  various  processes  through 
which  it  passes  in  preparation  down  to  the  railway 
box  or  the  can,  as  the  card  has  delivered  it.  We 
find  it  as  it  leaves  th§  card  in  a  light,  loose  and 
almost  transparent  sliver — tolerably  clean,  but  fibres 
lying  in  every  direction.  The  opening  and  cleans- 
ing has  been  performed.  The  next  thing  in  order 
is  to  lay  the  fibres  parallel,  in  smooth,  compact  and 
even  sliver.  For  this  purpose  it  is  drawn  out, 
doubled  and  drawn  several  times,  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  work  desired,  the  taste  of  the  man- 
ager, or  both.  Railways  have  been  very  generally 
adopted  in  this  country  within  the  last  twenty-five 
or  thirty  years,  and  this  is  the  most  convenient, 
economical  and  comfortable  method  of  gathering 
a  number  of  card  slivers  together  in  shape  to  re- 
ceive the  first  drawing ;  and  this,  too,  leads  us  to 
a  consideration  of  the  railway-head.  And,  first  of 
all,  it  is  necessary  to  deliver  the  slivers  to  this 
same  head  in  a  smooth,  even  sheet.  The  edges 
should  not  be  allowed  to  rub  against  the  box  in 
their  passage  through  it ;  if  they  do,  they  will  get 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       79 

fretted  and  will  not  make  a  smooth,  even-edged 
sliver  of  drawing. 

There  are  two  systems  of  laying  card  slivers 
into  a  railway  box.  One  we  will  denominate  the 
B  system  ;  the  other  the  E  system.  The  former 
is  to  make  a  calculation  of  how  many  thicknesses 
of  sliver  from  cards  it  is  necessary  to  have  for  a 
certain  width  of  apron,  in  order  to  cover  it  uni- 
formly, and  whatever  number  it  takes  lay  that 
number  down,  one  sliver  exactly  over  another,  in 
the  center  of  the  railway  box  at  the  farthest  end 
from  the  railway  ;  the  next  two  ends  meet  in  the 
center  of  those  already  laid  down ;  and  then  shingle 
on  each  side  alternate  ends  until  they  are  all  used. 
This  system  makes  a  most  excellent  sheet,  and  its 
only  fault  is,  it  leaves  the  edges  the  thickness  of 
a  single  card  sliver.  But  it  has  advantages  over 
all  others :  first,  it  makes  the  best  sheet,  with  the 
single  exception  mentioned  above ;  second,  it  re- 
tains its  shape  the  best,  when  one  end  is  out  by 
reason  of  a  card  stopping  to  be  stripped  or  for 
other  purposes.  The  tendency  is  to  close  up  a 
little,  and  so  partially  cover  up  the  deficiency, 
making  the  sheet  narrower  instead  of  leaving  a 
vacancy. 

The  E  system,  like  the  other,  needs  a  calcula- 
tion as  to  the  number  of  ends  and  width  of  apron ; 
when  ascertained,  lay  down  one-fourth,  one-third 
or  one-half,  the  ends  from  the  first  cards  or  those 
farthest  from  the  railway,  till  the  apron  is  covered  ; 
then  repeat  layer  upon  layer  until  they  are  all 
used.  This  system  makes  a  very  nice  sheet  and 
square  edges ;  but  they  are  apt  to  spread  out 
somewhat  and  chafe  the  edges  against  the  sides  of 
the  box — especially  those  first  laid  down.  Again  : 
when  one  card  is  out,  there  is  a  square  deficiency ; 
no  help  for  it.     With  a  perfect,  adjustable  guide 


80       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

either  system  can  be  used,  according  to  the  taste 
of  the  operator.  Without  such  a  guide,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  arrange  satisfactorily  or  employ  either  sys- 
tem. 

There  is  one  other  system  at  work  in  some 
places :  the  haphazard  system,  where  the  ends 
from  cards  are  laid  on  the  apron  without  regard  to 
position — in  some  places  four  double,  in  others  two, 
and  others  one,  just  as  it  happens.  Such  cannot 
make  good  work  long  at  a  time,  as  they  soon  spoil 
the  rolls  in  the  railway-head. 

The  card  slivers,  after  being  nicely  laid  down  in 
the  box  on  the  apron,  are  ready  to  pass  through 
the  railway-head  ;  and  at  this  point,  let  it  be  re- 
membered, cotton  receives  its  first  doubling  and 
drawing  proper;  in  other  words,  it  is  the  point 
where  the  doubling  and  drawing  begin  to  tell  on 
the  evenness  of  roving  and  yarn.  It  is  well,  in 
making  calculations  of  doublings,  to  begin  at  the 
finisher-picker  or  lapper  -,  and  it  is  as  well,  also,  to 
bear  in  mind  that,  so  far  as  the  evenness  of  roving 
is  concerned,  these  doublings  don't  amount  to  much 
until  we  arrive  at  the  railway-head.  The  others 
are  good  in  their  place.  We  cannot  dispense  with 
them.  But  it  is  at  the  railway-head  where  we  be- 
gin to  draw  down  and  even  our  work.  A  railway 
generally  has  four  rolls,  or  rather  sets  of  rolls ;  at 
least  all  should  have  this  arrangement.  There  has 
been  a  great  deal  said  about  the  right  number  of 
rolls,  or  what  number  is  right,  for  a  drawing  frame ; 
but  not  much  about  railways.  The  principle  is  the 
same  in  both  frames.  The  difference  is,  the  sliver 
or  sheet  is  heavier  in  a  railway  than  in  a  drawing 
frame  and  consequently  takes  more  power  to  hold 
and  draw  here  -,  and  somebody  probably  made  the 
discovery,  at  some  time,  that  four  sets  of  rolls  would 
do  this  work  better  than  three.    He  did  well :  they 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       81 

do  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  if  all  who  have  used 
railways  from  that  time  to  the  present  had  known 
as  much  as  the  man  who  made  the  discovery,  there 
would  not  have  been  so  many  mistakes  made  in 
arranging  the  draught  of  the  machine. 

As  it  is,  we  find  them  drawing  considerably  be- 
tween each  set  of  rolls.  We  may  safely  conclude 
that  the  man  who  found  it  necessary  to  have  four 
sets  of  rolls  in  a  railway  did  not  draw  very  much 
between  the  second  and  third  sets.  He  did  not 
place  them  there  for  that  purpose,  but  to  hold  the 
sheet  firm  while  the  first  and  second  pairs  of  rolls 
did  the  drawing.  This  may  seem  to  be  a  strange 
doctrine ;  and  perhaps  just  here  a  few  remarks  on 
drawing  in  general  may  be  in  place.  It  is  a  deli- 
cate and  somewhat  complicated  subject  to  handle, 
and  the  writer  may  not  be  able  to  make  himself 
perfectly  understood,  but  he  will  do  his  best. 

First,  cotton  fibres,  as  we  find  them  in  slivers  of 
drawling,  are  somewhat  curled  up — more  so  in  card 
slivers  than  any  other,  from  the  fact  that  every  pro- 
cess of  drawing,  proper,  straightens  them  a  little  ; 
second,  the  object  of  drawing  is  not  only  to  straighten 
the  fibres  and  lay  them  parallel,  but  to  draw  down 
as  well,  especially  after  doubling.  What  we  want 
is  the  best  method  of  doing  this  business  of  draw- 
ing fibres  straight,  laying  them  parallel  and  reduc- 
ing slivers  down  to  their  proper  tenuity. 

There  are  three  general  rules  that  may  be  ob- 
served with  profit,  though  like  all  rules  there  may 
be  exceptions  to  them  :  first,  do  the  principal  part 
of  drawing  in  all  kinds  of  drawing,  roving  and 
spinning  franaes  between  the  first  pair  of  rollers, 
or  the  two  first  sets ;  second,  draw  no  more  in  any 
one  place  than  is  strictly  necessary  ;  third,  increase 
as  it  progresses  or  advances  from  one  frame  to  an- 
other on  its  way  toward  yarn.     And  now  we  will 


82       WILSON'S  COTTON  CAEDERS'  COMPANION. 

explain  the  above  rules,  look  at  them  in  their  true 
light,  and  mention  exceptions. 

Perhaps  the  writer  can  make  himself  understood 
as  well,  if  not  better  than  in  any  other  way,  by 
introducing  a  little  incident.  Some  years  ago  a 
gentleman  called  on  him  and  entered  into  conver- 
sation concerning  the  preparation  of  cotton  for 
spinning.  He  said  he  had  been  brought  up  a 
mule-spinner,  but  was  then  a  mill  owner  and  cot- 
ton manufacturer.  He  professed  to  understand 
the  whole  process  of  preparation,  in  all  its  partic- 
ulars from  beginning  to  end.  We  talked  about 
drawing,  among  other  things:  the  best  way  to  do 
it,  where  to  draw,  how  much,  &c. ;  and  in  the 
course  of  his  remarks  he  said  he  would  have  only 
two  sets  of  rollers  in  a  drawing  frame,  if  he  was 
going  to  build  them  for  his  own  use  ;  that  the  third 
set  were  useless ;  that  the  drawing  should  all  be 
done  between  the  two  first  sets,  any  way,  and  what 
is  the  use  of  a  third  set  ?  The  writer  took  the 
matter  into  serious  consideration.  He  asked  him- 
self the  question,  "  Of  what  use  is  the  third  or 
fourth  set  of  rollers  in  a  drawing  frame  ?  "  He 
agreed  with  the  ex-mule-spinner,  that  the  most  of 
the  drawing  should  be  done  between  the  first  two 
sets  of  rollers.  But  why  are  there  three,  four  and 
sometimes  five  sets  ?  Have  manufacturers  and 
machine  builders  been  throwing  all  this  labor, 
material  and  power  away  ?  It  could  not  be  possi- 
ble ;  and  so  he  set  himself  to  work  to  find  a  use 
for  the  third  and  fourth  sets  of  rollers  in  a  draw- 
ing frame.  He  thought  like  this  :  Suppose  we 
remove  the  third  set  of  rollers  and  do  all  the  draw- 
ing between  two  sets  ;  then  we  must  weight  the 
back  roller  heavy  enough  to  hold  the  sliver  while 
the  front  rollers  draw  it  out.  In  a  word,  we  must 
put  as  much  weight  on  the  back  set  as  we  now 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       83 

have  on  two  sets  (if  they  are  rightly  adjusted), 
and  that  amount  of  weight  would  soon  spoil  the 
top  rollers  of  the  back  set.  But  if  we  can  divide 
the  weight  necessary  to  hold  the  sliver  while  it  is 
being  drawn  among  two  or  three  sets  of  rollers 
and  make  them  all  hold,  then  the  weight  of  each 
individual  set  of  back  rollers  will  be  comparatively 
light,  and  the  top  rollers  will  keep  in  good  condi- 
tion and  last  a  long  time.  Once  more,  by  way  of 
illustrating  and  enforcing  this  first  rule :  Pick  up 
a  sliver  of  drawing,  take  it  between  the  thumb 
and  forefinger  of  both  hands  and  grip  it  in  two 
places  ;  let  there  be  a  space  of  a  half  inch  be- 
tween the  two  grips  ;  pull  apart  a  little,  gently,  and 
it  will  be  perceived  that  there  is  a  little  give  or 
yield  before  separation  takes  place.  That  little 
give  is  taking  out  the  curl  of  the  fibre,  straighten- 
ing it  preparatory  to  drawing  out,  or  a  separation 
of  fibres  and  attenuation  of  sliver ;  and  that  give 
or  yield  is  the  exact  amount  of  draught  required 
between  the  two  or  more  sets  of  back  rollers ;  no 
more  is  needed,  and  less  would  be  about  the  same 
as  none  at  all.  In  this  manner  all  the  sets  of  back 
rollers  hold,  whether  two  or  more,  and  the  front  set 
does  the  drawing,  and  that  is  right. 

But  somebody  says — "  I  draw  nearly  as  much 
between  my  middle  and  back  rollers  as  I  do  be- 
tween the  front  and  middle  sets.  I  divide  my 
draught  pretty  nearly  equal  on  drawing  frames." 
You  are  not  the  first  man  who  has  done  that  same 
thing,  and  probably  not  the  only  man  who  is  doing 
it  now.  But  there  is  a  more  excellent  way  to  draw 
cotton  sliver.  The  construction  of  drawing  frames 
seems  to  say  very  plainly  that  they  were  not  de- 
signed for  such  use.  If  it  is  proper  to  draw  as 
much  between  middle  and  back  as  between  front 


84       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

and  middle,  then  most  certainly  they  should  be  set 
as  near  together,  which  is  not  the  case.  Again :  if 
we  undertake  to  equalize  this  draught,  we  must 
weight  them  all  equally ;  and  more  than  that,  we 
must  put  more  weight  on  each  set  than  we  are 
called  to  do  when  it  is  drawn  according  to  rule,  for 
it  will  draw  harder  in  both  places.  Another  man 
says — '^  I  do  not  draw  the  same  between  both  sets 
of  rollers,  but  I  draw  some  between  the  middle 
and  back  sets — considerably  less  than  between  the 
front  and  middle.  I  think  that  the  best  way."  So 
it  is,  if  the  "some"  is  small  enough ;  but  if  you  draw 
enough  to  separate  fibres  there,  it  is  very  hard  work 
— hard  for  rollers — and  it  will  not  draw  even ;  it 
cannot ;  the  rollers  are  too  far  apart ;  it  won't  come 
out  regular,  but  in  flakes.  Draw  just  enough  to 
take  the  curl  out  of  the  fibre,  and  you  are  right. 

The  question  now  arises,  How  much  should  we 
draw  between  back  sets  of  rollers  ?  What  should 
the  draught  be,  as  shown  by  figures  ?  Well,  that 
depends  somewhat  upon  circumstances  ;  it  depends 
upon  how  much  the  fibre  is  curled  up.  We  find  it 
most  curled  in  card  slivers,  and  therefore  should 
draw  more  between  back  sets  of  rollers  in  railways. 
And  this  takes  us  back  to  w^here  we  started.  The 
other  two  rules  will  be  explained  as  we  progress  in 
this  chapter.  We  may  allow  a  draught  of  from 
1.25  to  1.50,  as  figures  show  (see  remarks  on 
draught,  Chapter  VI.),  between  the  two  back 
sets,  and  from  1.15  to  1.25  between  the  middle  sets 
on  a  railway-head,  and  do  the  rest  of  the  drawing 
between  the  two  front  sets.  We  may  draw  more 
in  these  places  on  a  railway  than  a  drawing  frame, 
for  the  reason  that  the  fibre  is  most  curled  there. 
The  whole  draught  on  a  railway,  where  eveners  are 
attached,  is  necessarily  variable,  and  most  railways 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       85 

have  them  in  these  times.  They  are  a  very  impor- 
tant and  useful  appendage.  Some  object  to  them 
on  account  of  the  constant  changes  in  draught ; 
but  kt  it  be  remembered  that  we  are  obliged  to 
have  these  changes  in  draught  or  changes  in 
weight.  The  former  are  preferable.  As  railways 
take  the  slivers  of  a  section  of  cards  varying  in 
number  from  six  to  twelve,  and  as  there  is  more 
or  less  stopping  of  cards  for  stripping,  grinding, 
accidents  and  laps  running  through,  without 
eveners  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  light  work  unless 
it  is  broken  and  taken  out,  and  that  operation 
makes  a  great  deal  of  waste,  which  is  alv^ays  to 
be  deprecated.  There  is  an  arrangement  through 
a  double  set  of  draught  gears  by  which  the  absence 
of  the  end  from  one  card  is  made  up ;  but  it  is 
only  one.  If  two  ends  are  out  the  work  must  be 
light,  and  nothing  seems  to  remedy  such  evils 
except  the  evener.  That  is  not  all  the  benefit  of 
the  evener:  it  acts  in  the  other  direction,  also, 
giving  notice  of,  and  counteracting  heavy  work, 
though  there  is  not  usually  so  much  trouble  with 
the  latter  as  the  former. 

The  proper  point  at  which  to  regulate  an  evener 
belt  on  the  cones  is  about  one-fourth  the  distance 
from  the  large  end  of  the  driving  cone  ;  and  the 
cones,  and  the  whole  evener  work,  should  be  of 
sufficient  compass  to  counteract  the  absence  of 
three  ends  from  the  cards.  The  whole  draught 
of  a  railway  may  vary  from  three  to  five  where 
there  are  eveners,  and  where  there  are  none  it  may 
be  set  at  four  and  a  half  But  here  is  an  excep- 
tion to  the  third  rule  laid  down,  viz  :  to  increase 
as  it  progresses  from  one  frame  to  another.  A  rail- 
way should,  as  a  general  thing,  draw  more  than  the 
first  head  of  drawing  proper,  for  the  reason  that 
the  sliver  is  heaviest  and  the  most  curled  state  of 


86       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

the  fibre  exists  there.  The  weight  necessary  to  ap- 
ply to  the  top  rollers  of  a  railway,  or  drawing  frame 
of  any  kind,  should  be  exactly  enough  to  hold,  not  a 
pound  more.  In  many  modern  railways  there  is  a 
rack  by  which  the  weight  of  all  the  rollers  is  con- 
nected and  the  power  applied  with  one  long  lever 
and  one  weight.  This  is  a  good  arrangement. 
Let  the  carder  experiment  with  the  weight  until 
he  "  touches  bottom,"  or  has  reduced  weight  until 
it  will  not  hold  to  draw  ;  then  increase  until  it 
will  hold. 

We  should  have  no  more  power  applied  to  the 
top  rollers  of  a  railway-head  or  drawing  frame 
than  is  absolutely  necessary,  for  three  reasons  : 
First,  an  extra  amount  excites  naore  electricity  than 
the  right  amount,  and  there  is  enough  of  that  un- 
der the  most  favorable  circumstances;  second,  it 
is  an  unnecessary  wear  and  tear  of  top  rollers ; 
third,  it  requires  more  power  to  drive  it.  There 
should  be  no  draught  between  the  front  set  of  rolls 
and  the  calender  rolls,  either  in  a  railway  or  a 
drawing  frame. 

It  used  to  be  the  rule  to  have  a  little  draught 
in  that  place ;  it  was  supposed  to  be  necessary. 
In  a  drawing  frame  the  front  fluted  roller  is  usu- 
ally one  and  one-quarter  inches  in  diameter,  and 
the  calender  roll  two  and  one-half;  the  old  arrange- 
ment was  the  following :  Suppose  there  were  36 
teeth  in  the  driving  gear  on  the  front  roller,  then 
it  was  thought  there  must  be  a  gear  of  71  teeth 
on  the  calender  roll,  giving  the  thin,  gauze-like 
sliver  a  slight  draught.  ^  little  reflection  will 
enable  any  one  to  realize  the  impropriety  of  draw- 
ing cotton  in  this  place.  First,  the  long  distance 
between  these  two  sets  of  rollers — usually  from 
ten  to  thirteen  inches ;  second,  the  condition  of  the 
sliver,  so  thin  and  delicate  that  a  breath  will  sever 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       87 

it ;  and  when  we  come  to  apply  a  continual  strain 
to  it,  in  the  shape  of  a  fraught,  it  must  necessarily 
make  it  uneven.  There  is  usually  contraction 
enough  in  the  fibre  of  cotton  to  keep  it  straight 
in  this  place  while  running  exactly  square — that  is, 
no  draught  at  all ;  and  when  there  is  considerable 
electricity  excited  and  the  air  is  dry,  a  draught 
here  becomes  intolerable,  is  exceedingly  difficult 
to  manage  and  materially  injures  the  work.  The 
writer  is  aware  that  railway-heads  and  drawing 
frames  are  built  and  arranged  for  a  slight  draught 
here,  and  that  the  general  opinion  of  machine 
builders  and  carders  is  that  it  must  be  so,  that  the 
frames  will  not  run  without  it ;  and  this  is  an  old, 
deep-rooted  and  long-settled  conviction  ;  probably 
nothing  but  an  actual  trial  will  dissipate  this  illu- 
sion. If  the  rolls  are  accurate,  the  front  exactly 
one  and  one-quarter  inches,  and  the  calender  ex- 
actly two  and  one-half  inches  in  diameter,  then 
there  may  be  a  36-teeth  driver  on  the  front  roll 
and  a  72-teeth  driven  on  the  calender,  or  in  that 
proportion  for  any  other  number  of  teeth,  and  it 
will  run  nicely.  The  author  has  run  drawing  in 
this  manner  for  years ;  he  knows  what  he  is  talk- 
ing about,  and  he  claims  to  be  the  discoverer  of 
the  draught  error,  and  the  author  of  the  "new  de- 
parture." A  trial  will  satisfy  the  most  sceptical 
of  the  correctness  of  it. 

The  doublings  proper  commence  with  the  rail- 
way-head ;  the  number  of  course  depends  on  the 
number  of  cards  that  run  into  one  head ;  it  may 
be  six,  nine,  ten,  twelve  or  fourteen.  The  speed 
of  the  front  roll  of  a  railway  is  necessarily  vari- 
able where  there  are  eveners  attached,  as  here  is 
the  variation  of  draught.  Medium  speed  of  a 
front  roll  one  and  one-half  inches  in  diameter  may 
be  about  370  revolutions  per  minute ;  maximum, 


88       WILSON'S  COTTOX  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

390.  The  above  kinds  of  speed  will  answer  very 
v^ell  where  there  are  stop  motions  attached,  but 
where  there  are  none,  they  should  run  slower,  as 
when  railways  run  very  fast,  without  stop  motions, 
when  the  front  roller  rolls  up  it  is  liable  to  do  a 
large  amount  of  mischief  in  a  short  time. 

Speculations  have  been  indulged  in  as  to  why 
the  front  roller  of  a  railway  and  drawing  frame  is 
larger  than  the  other  rolls.  The  inquiry  has  been 
raised,  "  What  is  the  object  ?  Are  they  any  better 
than  they  would  be  if  the  rollers  were  all  of  one 
size  ?"  The  author  never  heard  any  one  say  aught 
in  answer  to  these  questions ;  but  he  will  venture 
a  guess,  based  on  his  knowledge  of  such  things  in 
general.  The  reason  for  it  is  probably  to  save  run- 
ning the  front  roller  as  many  revolutions  in  a  given 
time  as  it  would  be  necessary  to  do  if  they  were 
all  alike.  There  is  no  particular  objection  to  run- 
ning a  railway  or  drawing  frame  at  a  high  speed, 
if  they  are  provided  with  modern  stop-motions. 
The  work  is  as  well  done  on  high  as  low  speed, 
notwithstanding  there  are  many  of  a  contrary 
opinion.  The  writer  once  took  charge  of  a  room 
where  there  was  'a  superabundance  of  drawing, 
and  he  thought  it  would  be  a  good  time  to  improve 
his  work  by  diminishing  speed  of  drawing  ;  for 
that  purpose  he  reduced  the  speed  of  one-quarter 
from  350  revolutions  of  the  front  roll  to  240,  and 
kept  the  work  separate,  and  it  was  spun  separate, 
numbered  and  tested  separate,  and  it  was  found  to 
be  no  better  than  the  other  yarn  made  from  draw- 
ing running  at  high  speed. 

Electricity  is  excited  more  or  less  by  all  rail- 
ways and  drawing  frames,  and  the  same  causes  and 
cures  are  applicable  to  both  kinds  of  frames.  The 
general  cause  is  friction ;  and  when  the  air  is  dry 
it  is  a  non-conductor,  and  hence  the  electricity  ex- 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       89 

cited  remains  to  trouble  the  work  ;  and  sometimes 
it  acts  very  badly.  To  get  rid  of  this  annoyance 
several  kinds  of  treatment  are  resorted  to,  all  of 
which  are  more  or  less  effective.  Pointed  wires 
are  sometimes  suspended  over  drawing  belts,  and 
a  channel  of  escape  is  thus  opened  into  a  sprinkler 
pipe  or  some  other  iron  passage;  a  portion  may  be 
gotten  rid  of  in  that  manner.  Steam  pipes  are 
sonaetimes  opened,  and  a  little  loose  steam  let  out 
in  the  room  soon  dampens  the  air  and  makes  it  a 
conductor;  then  the  electricity  vanishes.  But  pre- 
vention is  better  than  cure.  First,  have  no  more 
weight  on  rollers  than  is  absolutely  necessary  ; 
second,  keep  rollers  well  oiled — don't  let  them  heat 
up;  third,  don't  let  stirrups  chafe  the  rolls,  and  avoid 
all  unnecessary  friction  everywhere;  fourth,  put 
a  coat  of  varnish  on  rolls  that  are  old,  rough  and 
dry  [See  Recipe,  Chapter  VL] ;  but  after  all 
has  been  done  as  a  preventive  that  can  be  done, 
then  resort  to  some  of  the  methods  mentioned 
above  to  conduct  it  away.  When  no  more  con- 
venient means  are  at  hand,  set  buckets  of  hot 
water  about  the  railways  and  drawing  frames ;  the 
air  will  soon  grow  moist  and  take  the  troublesome 
fluid,  or  as  it  is  called  in  these  days,  "  force," 
away. 

It  is  essential  to  good  drawing  that  the  top 
rollers  be  looked  after  very  closely,  both  in  rail- 
ways and  drawing  frames.  Where  solid  rollers  are 
in  use,  the  front  ones  call  for  very  frequent  oiling, 
owing  to  the  heavy  weight  necessary.  If  they 
get  a  little  warm  and  dry  they  will  make  heavy 
work,  if  they  don't  cut.  It  won't  do  to  put  on 
much  at  a  time;  little  and  often  is  the  rule;  for  if 
the  leather  gets  saturated  with  oil  it  soon  becomes 
an  old,  worthless  roller.  The  patent  weighting 
apparatus  saves  rolls  considerably.     Taking   the 


90       WILSON'S  COTTON  CAEDERS'  COMPANION. 

weight  off  over  Sundays  and  holidays  prevents 
them  from  being  pressed  out  of  shape.  This  same 
arrangement  is  also  very  useful  in  removing  weights 
at  any  time.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  doffers 
and  feed  of  cards  are  driven  by  the  railway  and 
consequently  stop  when  the  railway  stops,  as  the 
main  cylinder  throws  some  extra  cotton  on  to  the 
doffers,  and  when  they  start  are  apt  to  break  down 
more  or  less  ends,  thus  causing  an  irregularity  in 
the  sheet  as  it  goes  to  the  railway :  for  these 
reasons  it  is  desirable  to  run  railways  as  regularly 
and  stop  as  seldom  as  possible  and  as  short  a  time 
as  may  be  when  they  are  stopped.  In  case  of  a 
'-  roll  up "  it  is  often  necessary  to  remove  the 
weights  from  rollers.  Railways  weighted  in  the 
old  style  take  much  more  time  than  the  new,  and 
on  that  account,  in  addition  to  others  mentioned, 
the  new  style  are  preferable  to  the  old. 

When  any  of  the  small  rollers  in  a  railway  or 
drawing  frame  need  to  be  changed,  always  work 
the  old  ones  back,  and  put  the  new  one  in  next  to 
the  front.  Never  put  a  new  roll  in  backside ;  it 
can  and  should  be  better  employed,  while  an  old 
one  will  hold  very  well  in  that  place.  Where  shell 
rollers  are  used,  much  of  the  trouble  experienced 
with  solid  rolls  vanishes  at  once ;  they  are  the 
■great  invention,  so  far  as  top  rollers  are  concerned. 
Once  in  two  weeks  is  often  enough  to  oil  railway 
front  top  shell  rollers,  rather  than  once  in  two  hours, 
as  is  often  the  case  with  solid  ones.  The  writer 
can  hardly  refrain  from  speaking  in  the  highest 
terms  of  the  shell  roller,  though  it  is  not  the  object 
of  this  volume  to  commend  any  machine ;  but  he 
may  be  warranted  in  doing  so,  perhaps,  under 
these  circumstances :  He  never  was  acquainted 
with  the  inventor,  or  any  of  his  agents ;  never  so 
much  as  spoke  with  either  •  it  is  not  on  their  ac- 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       91 

count  he  speaks,  although  the  inventor  is  most 
certainly  worthy  of  the  highest  commendation ;  but 
he  speaks  for  the  whole  cotton  manufacturing  in- 
terest: owners,  treasurers,  superintendents  and  all 
factory  operatives :  men,  women  and  children.  Let 
it  be  understood,  then,  that  shell  rollers  are  a 
saving  of  oil,  rolls  and  labor ;  that  they  make 
better  work,  besides  cleaner,  better  looking  and 
more  easy  to  handle. 

Modern  railways,  with  all  the  improvements 
attached — stop  motion,  evener,  patent  weighting 
apparatus  and  shell  roller — are  very  complete  and 
effective  machines.  Eveners  are  worthy  the  name 
they  bear.  When  the  cotton  is  dry  and  sliver 
needs  to  be  lighter  than  at  any  other  time, 
they  make  it  so;  because  the  fibres  at  such  times 
stand  out  and  create  more  friction  in  the  trumpet. 
On  the  other  hand,  when  the  air  is  damp,  and  the 
cotton  has  absorbed  a  quantity  of  water  (and 
should  on  that  account  be  heavier)  the  fibres  lie 
down  smooth  and  go  through  the  trumpet  easily, 
and  the  same  bulk  is  heavier.  Again  :  when  an 
end  breaks  down,  they  adapt  themselves  to  the 
circumstances  immediately,  and  the  deficiency  is 
counteracted.  Keep  them  in  order,  and  they  are 
faithful  servants. 

So  much  has  been  said  under  the  head  of  rail- 
ways, which  are  a  kind  of  drawing  frame,  possess- 
ing many  of  their  common  characteristics,  that  as 
a  matter  of  course  what  has  been  said  is  necessarily 
equally  applicable  to  both,  and  but  little  remains 
to  be  said  of  the  latter.  Where  no  railways  are 
used,  the  first  head  of  drawing  may  draw  more  be- 
tween the  back  and  middle  rollers  than  any  that 
succeed  it.  [See  reason  explained  under  head  of 
railway.]  We  find  drawing  frames  with  three,  four 
nd  five  sets  of  rolls.  With   a   three  or  four-roll 


92       WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

head  the  back  sets  should  all  be  made  to  hold,  and 
the  principal  drawing  be  done  between  the  two 
front  sets,  as  already  explained.  With  a  five  roll 
head  they  may  be,  and  generally  are,  arranged  as 
two  sets,  or  more  properly  do  the  work  of  two  or- 
dinary frames.  The  three  back  sets  (two  small  and 
one  large)  correspond  to  the  common  three-roll  head, 
and  should  be  managed  the  same.  After  passing 
these  it  usually  passes  through  a  guide  before  enter- 
ing the  two  front  sets.  During  this  passage  it  needs 
no  draught.  After  entering  the  two  front  sets  it 
passes  another  drawing  process,  similar  to  the  one 
already  passed  :  the  only  difference  is  one  back  top 
roller  holds  it  while  being  drawn,  instead  of  two, 
as  in  the  other  case.  This  latter  plan  is  open  to 
objections  already  made.  The  front  roller  of  a 
drawing  frame  may  run  anywhere  from  350  to  400 
revolutions  per  minute. 

There  are  various  devices  to  fill  or  crowd  cans, 
such  as  coilers,  plungers  and  plates,  or,  as  called  by 
some,  crowders.  The  only  difficulty  with  any  of 
the  above  arrangements  is,  they  are  often  allowed 
to  run  too  full  and  crimp  or  snarl  the  drawing. 
Change  the  cans  when  moderately  full,  and  there 
is  no  trouble  with  any  of  them.  The  objection  to 
crowders  has  been  so  great  in  some  places  that 
they  have  been  entirely  dispensed  with  —  no 
crowders  of  any  kind  ;  the  girl  crowds  the  draw- 
ing with  her  hand,  and  this  is  generally  the  most 
irregular  kind  of  crowding  that  drawing  gets. 
Drawing  is  improved  by  being  condensed  a  little 
by  a  groove  in  the  bottom,  a  tongue  in  the  top 
calender  rolls  and  a  little  weight  applied  to  the 
top  roller. 

Doubling  and  drawing  are  as  closely  connected 
as  faith  and  works.  If  we  have  one  we  must  have 
the  other  ;  they  must  go  together.     If  we  should 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       93 

undertake  to  draw  card  sliver  (as  delivered  from 
the  card  without  any  doubling)  enough  to  lay  the 
fibres  parallel,  we  should  get  it  down  so  small  be- 
fore the  object  would  be  accomplished  that  we 
could  do  nothing  with  it.  But  by  doubling  we 
are  enabled  to  do  this  perfectly,  and  at  the  same 
time  equalize  the  different  strands  so  that  they  are 
all  alike,  or  nearly  so,  in  weight  per  yard. 

The  philosophy  of  drawing,  as  applied  to  cotton, 
is  to  displace  the  fibres,  or  a  portion  of  them,  in 
such  manner  as  to  elongate  the  strand  or  thread, 
as  the  case  may  be,  and  in  proportion  as  it  is 
elongated  it  is  made  lighter.  This  drawing  out 
fibres  by  rollers  running  at  different  speeds  is  done 
the  easiest  and  in  the  most  perfect  manner  when 
the  draught  is  considerable ;  the  more  the  draught 
*  the  fewer  fibres  are  displaced,  or  drawn  out,  at  a 
time.  The  writer  would  not  be  understood  to  intimate 
that  there  is  no  limit  to  draught.  What  he  wishes 
to  be  understood  as  saying  is,  that  a  draught  of 
four  can  be  performed  easier  and  more  satisfactory 
than  a  draught  of  two.  Just  draught  enough  to 
separate  the  fibres  is  the  hardest  kind  of  draught — 
the  hardest  for  rolls,  hardest  for  the  fibres,  and  it 
takes  more  power.  This  is  the  reason  why  it  is 
not  well  to  draw  between  the  two  sets  of  back 
rollers  in  any  drawing  or  roving  frames.  Take 
up  a  piece  of  railway  drawing  and  grip  it  tightly 
between  the  thumb  and  forefinger  of  both  hands ; 
leave  a  space  of  about  an  inch  and  a-quarter  be- 
tween the  two  bites,  and  then  pull  hatd  enough  to 
separate  it.  That  will  show  the  power  necessary 
to  draw  a  little.  Then  take  up  a  piece  of  the  same 
kind  and  hold  in  one  hand  as  before,  and  with  the 
other  thumb  and  forefinger  take  hold  of  a  few 
fibres  and  draw  them  out;  repeat  rapidly;  and 
that  will  show  the  power  required  to  draw  consid- 


94       WILSON'S  COTTON  CAEDERS'  COMPANION. 

erably,  and  it  will  be  found  to  be  much  less  than 
the  former.  The  draught  necessary  for  back  sets 
of  rollers  has  been  explained.  The  draught  of  all 
frames,  drawing  and  roving,  should  increase  as  it 
progresses  from  one  frame  to  another,  with  the 
single  exception  of  the  railway-head,  or  first  head 
of  drawing,  where  there  are  no  railways.  There 
are  two  reasons  for  this.  First,  it  is  growing 
lighter  ;  second,  it  draws  easier  the  farther  it  goes ; 
that  is,  it  draws  easier  in  a  coarse  speeder  than  in 
the  last  head  of  drawing ;  and  it  draws  easier  in 
an  intermediate  than  in  the  coarse  speeder,  and  so 
on. 

Top  rollers  should  be  perfectly  round,  straight 
and  both  ends  of  a  size.  Cover  the  front  ones 
with  good  calf  skin  ;  sheep  skin  will  do  for  back 
ones,  though  calf  is  better,  more  reliable  and  does 
not  bed  down  so  quick.  There  is  in  most  modern 
drawing  frames  a  traverse  attached.  Rolls  wear 
better  with  them  than  without  them,  though  it  is 
necessary  to  weight  a  little  heavier  with  the 
ordinary  traverse. 

There  is  a  traverse  motion  in  existence,  so  ar- 
ranged that  the  two  ends  under  the  same  rollers 
traverse  in  opposite  directions  instead  of  both  go- 
ing one  way,  as  they  do  on  the  old  plan.  It  is 
said  they  require  less  weight  and  are  consequently 
better.  The  writer  has  never  seen  any  of  them, 
but  has  read  of  them  in  Draper's  book,  and  judges 
that  they  may  be  an  improvement. 

Clearers  for  top  rollers  in  railways  and  drawing 
frames  should  not  be  allowed  to  run  so  long  as  to 
have  the  cloth  worn  entirely  smooth. 

The  best  kind  of  saddles  for  solid  top  rollers  in 
drawing  frames  are  those  bushed  with  green  hide, 
whether  hooks  or  saddles,  dead  weights  or  lever 
weights  J  and  when  they  get  worn,  renew  them. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       95 


It  is  well  to  weigh  railway  drawing  twice  a  day, 
as  a  general  thing.  Have  a  standard  weight  per 
yard,  and  keep  it  as  near  the  standard  as  possible 
by  changing  the- weight  of  the  evener  when  it  is 
found  to  be  too  light  or  too  heavy. 

Drawing  frames  should  be  kept  clean  and  tidy 
and  in  perfect  order,  so  that  they  will  run  well  and 
avoid  piecing  as  much  as  possible,  and  also  save 
making  waste  to  be  re-worked.  The  less  piecing 
and  less  waste  there  is  made  the  better  for  the 
work. 

The  driving  belts  should  be  allowed  to  run  as 
loosely  as  they  will  drive,  they  stop  so  much  bet- 
ter than  with  a  tight  belt,  or  rather  the  stop- 
motion  works  more  satisfactorily  and  less  ends  run 
through. 

We  may  sum  up  drawing  about  as  follows :  The 
doubling  in  the  railway-head  will  be  according  to 
the  number  of  cards  that  furnish  it,  from  6  to  14. 
Draught,  medium,  4i ;  speed  of  front  roll  (li  inches 
diameter),  375  revolutions  per  minute ;  first  head, 
double  two  or  three  into  one  draught,  3i ;  speed  of 
front  roll  (li  inches  diameter),  400  revolutions  per 
minute ;  third  head,  double  three  into  one,  draught 
3h  to  31;  speed  of  front  roll  (li  inches  diameter), 
400  revolutions  per  minute. 


CHAPTER   Y. 
Speeders. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  —  NAMES — TWO  KINDS  OF  POWER  —  DRAW- 
ING WITH  ROLLERS— WINDING — ^TENSION :  HOW  TO  REGULATE 
— A  NEW  APPLIANCE  —  TWIST!  HOW  TO  CALCULATE  —  HANK: 
WHAT  IS  IT  —  THE  OBJECT  OF  TWIST  —  A  RULE  —  VARIATIONS 
WHEN  MADE — BALANCE  WEIGHTS  —  SPEED  OF  ROLLS  AND 
FLYERS   IN  DIFFERENT  FRAMES  —  FLYERS!    HOW  BALANCED 

—  RAIL  RUNNING  BY!  HOW  TO  GUARD  AGAINST  IT  — OIL  — 
BELTS  —  DANCING  BOBBINS :  WHAT  CAUSES  THEM,  AND  HOW 
TO   CURE  — TRAVERSE  FOR  TRUMPET  ROD  —  RECAPITULATION 

—  PROGRESSIVE   DOUBLINGS   AND  DRAWING. 

After  the  sliver  of  cotton  has  been  drawn  to  a 
certain  tenuity,  and  the  number  correspondingly 
multiplied,  fibres  mostly  parallel  and  pretty  well 
straightened  out,  in  order  to  continue  the  process 
it  is  necessary  to  twist  it,  to  make  it  hold  its  shape, 
and  also  to  make  it  more  convenient  to  handle,  as 
ends  increase  in  number.  We  used  to  employ 
for  this  purpose,  what  we  called  "  speeders  and 
stretchers,"  and  though  the  work  is  done  now  in  a 
somewhat  similar  manner,  the  number  of  frames 
has  been  increased,  plan  of  construction  modified, 
manner  of  tending  almost  a  new  trade,  and  names 
changed.  "  Speeder  and  stretcher  "  have  been  for 
many  years  peculiarly  American.  While  "  slubber 
and  fly-frame  "  have  been,  and  are  now,  peculiarly 
English  terms.  "  Speeders  "  are  the  names  applied 
to  roving  frames  in  this  country,  within  a  few  years 
past.  Coarse  speeders,  intermediate  speeders  and 
fine  speeders  compose  the  list  of  roving  frames  ; 
and  though  there  is  a  striking  similarity  in  general 
principle  between  all  these  frames,  yet  in  detail 
there  is  a  great  difference. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       97 

In  all  these  frames  there  are  two  motions :  one 
absolute  and  regular ;  the  other  relative  and  vary- 
ing. The  relative  and  varying  motion  or  speed  is 
in  all  cases  produced  and  regulated  by  the  use  of 
a  compound  and  cone  or  cones.  In  a  speeder  the 
relative  power  is  applied  to  the  spindles  and  rail^ 
and  the  absolute  to  the  flyers,  while  in  the  slubber 
and  fly  frame  it  is  applied  to  the  bobbins  on  the 
spindles  and  to  the  rail,  the  absolute  to  spindles, 
and  to  these  the  flyers  are  attached.  In  either 
case  they  are  about  as  complex  as  a  watch,  and 
require  very  skillful  management  in  order  to  secure 
good  work.  Cotton  may  receive  the  most  approved 
opening,  picking,  carding  and  drawing,  and  yet  it 
may  be  all  spoiled  in  the  roving  frames.  Though 
these  frames  are  so  complicated  and  delicate,  they 
have  been  brought  to  a  very  high  state  of  perfec- 
tion, and  w^hen  properly  adjusted  and  cared  for 
wdll  produce  most  excellent  roving. 

So  far  as  the  drawing  with  rollers  is  concerned, 
it  should  be  regulated  the  same  as  drawing  frames, 
as  described  in  a  preceding  chapter.  On  a  coarse 
speeder  or  a  slubber  it  is  not  customary  to  double, 
though  it  is  sometimes  done  two  into  one.  The 
draught  of  a  coarse  speeder  may  be  from  four  to 
four  and  a  half,  as  required  to  furnish  the  right 
weight. 

Next  comes  twist.  [See  remarks  on  twist  and 
twist  table  in  Chapter  VI.] 

Next  comes  winding  on  the  bobbin ;  and  there 
are  two  or  three  things  in  this  particular  equally 
applicable  to  all  kinds  of  roving  frames,  whether 
they  are  the  old  soft  bobbin  or  the  presser,  whether 
they  have  heads,  are  straight;  or  double  taper. 
First,  regulate  the  speed  of  the  rail  so  that  the 
roving,  as  it  is  wound  on  the  barrel  of  the  bobbin, 
will  exactly  cover,  neither  pile  up  nor  show  spaces 

9 


98       WILSON'S  COTTON  CAEDERS'  COMPANION. 

between  the  coils,  but  make  a  smooth  layer — 
almost  as  smooth  and  straight  as  the  barrel  itself; 
and  as  roving  varies  in  size  in  different  seasons  of 
the  year,  and  in  consequence  of  changes  in  the  at- 
mosphere between  dry  and  damp,  it  is  necessary 
to  look  out  for  these  changes,  and  make  calcula- 
tions accordingly.  There  are  those  who  tell  us 
exactly  what  the  diameter  of  every  variety  of 
hank  roving  is,  bur  as  they  have  forgotten  to  tell 
us  whether  it  was  in  January  or  in  dog-days,  when 
they  measured  it,  or  how  hard  it  was  twisted,  or 
anything  of  this  kind,  we  can  place  very  little 
reliance  on  such  information.  The  space  in  this 
volume  does  not  permit  us  to  go  into  calculations 
in  this  direction,  and  it  is  a  matter  that  more  par- 
ticularly belongs  to  machine  builders  than  carders, 
though  it  is  well  for  every  carder  to  understand  it ; 
and  the  author  may  at  a  future  time  go  into  such 
a  work ;  but  let  it  suffice  at  present  to  say,  that 
machines  are  usually  built  with  reference  to  the 
hank  sought — so  near  generally  that  they  can  be 
adjusted  with  gears  to  suit  the  circumstances. 
Make  the  first  layer  of  roving  just  cover  the  bar- 
rel of  the  bobbin.  Second,  never  allow  any  draught 
between  the  front  roller  and  the  bobbin ;  watch 
the  tension  close ;  keep  it  loose,  for  if  it  draws 
hard  there  it  will  certainly  be  spoiled.  Drawing 
in  this  place  is  more  injurious  than  it  is  in  the 
drawing  frame,  between  the  front  fluted  and  cal- 
ender rolls,  because  it  is  lighter.  It  is  true,  we 
twist  it  in  a  roving  frame,  but  with  most  kinds  of 
speeders,  and  the  back  row  of  ends  on  a  fly  frame 
or  slubber,  there  is  a  little  thin  place  drawing  over 
a  portion  of  the  rolls  so  close  that  the  twist  does 
not  run  up  to  the  bite  of  the  rolls ;  and  this  is  the 
place  where  the  straining  is  done.  The  twist  usu- 
ally runs  up  better  in  slubbers  and  fly  frames  than 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.       99 

in  speeders,  for  the  reason  that  it  don't  drop  down 
so  suddenly,  and  the  half-turn  round  of  the  flyer- 
nose  has  a  tendency  to  throw  the  twist  back  some. 
There  is  a  tube  put  in  the  nose  of  the  flyer  of  a 
speeder  which  helps  throw  twist  back,  and  it  is  a 
very  good  thing.  A  Providence,  R.  I.,  firm  puts 
in  such  tubes  when  desired.  If  speeder  roll  stands 
inclined  a  little  more  from  back  to  front,  it  would 
help  throw  twist  back  nearer  the  bite  of  the  rolls. 
All  these  things  are  safeguards ;  but  let  it  be  un- 
derstood that  none  of  them,  nor  all  of  them  together, 
will  counteract  a  draught  in  this  place,  and  it 
should  never  be  allowed  under  any  circumstances. 
The  tension  in  this  place  is  constantly  changing 
and  needs  to  be  watched  and  changed  as  occasion 
calls.  On  the  old  soft  work,  or  what  we  used  to 
call  "stretchers  and  speeders,"  there  is  not  much 
chance  to  change  tension  conveniently.  There  is 
usually  a  chance  to  change  the  cone  belt,  or  rather 
its  position  on  the  cone,  at  the  starting  point  an 
inch  or  more,  and  that  is  all ;  if  more  is  wanted, 
as  is  often  the  case,  there  must  or  ought  to  be  a 
change  of  racks  to  finer  or  coarser  as  needed. 
This  involves  great  labor,  but  it  is  the  only  way 
the  writer  knows  to  do  it  on  that  kind  of  frame. 
There  may  be  some  of  the  old  geared  cones  run- 
ning yet,  somewhere  in  the  country,  and  if  there 
are  it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  change  the  tension 
on  such,  to  change  an  entire  set  of  gears  on  both 
cones,  and  this  requires  more  labor  still ;  but  it  is 
the  only  way  to  do  it.  Fly  frames  and  slubbers 
are  easily  managed  in  this  particular,  and  are  usu- 
ally provided  with  a  number  of  change  gears,  which 
are  very  convenient  and  may  be  used  to  any  de- 
sired extent.  The  Lowell  speeder  double-taper 
bobbin  also  has  a  very  convenient  change  of  gears 
for  this  purpose. 


100    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

In  addition  to  what  the  builders  have  provided 
for  regulating  the  tension  of  these  frames,  Mr. 
Jabez  Edwards,  of  the  Merrimack  Manufacturing 
Company,  Lowell,  Mass.,  has  invented  and  secured 
a  patent  on  a  very  useful  and  convenient  appliance 
to  assist  in  this  particular.  The  guide  through 
which  the  cone  belt  runs  is  so  arranged  by  means 
of  two  inclined  slots  running  in  opposite  directions 
meeting  at  the  top,  and  from  that  point  diverging, 
downward,  regulated  by  a  pin  passing  through  the 
slots  and  attached  to  a  burr  or  rod,  underneath  the 
regular  bar  on  which  the  cone  belt  stand  slides. 
This  lower  bar  is  held  in  a  socket  in  the  stand 
where  the  spring  is  coiled,  at  one  end  ;  the  other 
end  is  held  by  a  bolt  in  a  slide  at  the  end  of  the 
cones,  and  can  be  lowered  or  raised  at  pleasure  a 
distance  of  some  three  and  a  half  inches  by  simply 
loosening  the  nut  on  the  bolt.  The  effect  is  to 
change  the  position  of  the  belt  on  the  cones  at 
once,  and  also  to  change  the  rate  of  the  let-off. 
Suppose  we  find  a  frame  drawing  or  winding  too 
tight,  where  this  patent  is  attached,  we  raise  the 
bar  a  trifle ;  this  throws  the  cone  belt  ahead 
slightly,  and  the  trouble  is  remedied  at  once,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  rate  is  changed ;  it  now  lets 
off  more  each  time  than  it  did  before.  Again  : 
suppose  we  find  a  frame  winding  too  loose  :  the 
girl  who  tends  it  would  say  —  "My  frame  runs 
slack."  We  lower  the  end  of  the  bar  a  little,  and 
that  throws  the  cone  belt  back  a  trifle,  and  it 
tightens  up  immediately,  at  the  same  time  changing 
the  rate  ;  it  lets  off  less  at  each  time  now.  The 
advantage  of  this  appliance  is — first,  it  remedies 
an  existing  irregularity  at  once,  w^hich  changing 
gears  does  not,  but  they  must  have  considerable  time 
to  adapt  themselves,  or  the  work,  to  the  new  let- 
off,  and  it  makes  some  bad  work  the  while ;  second, 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS^  COMPANION.     101 

it  is  quickly  done  ;  there  is  no  danger  of  letting 
the  chain  slip  and  the  belt  on  the  cone  losing  its 
place,  the  nut  being  lowered  on  the  builder  screw, 
or  anything  of  the  sort ;  it  is  all  safe,  easy,  effective 
and  comfortable.  This  arrangement  is  equivalent 
to  a  change  of  three  teeth  in  a  50-teeth  gear,  when 
it  is  moved  the  whole  distance ;  and  if  more  is 
wanted,  the  gears  are  at  hand  to  do  it,  in  addition 
to  the  regulator. 

The  writer  does  not  claim  that  he  has  given  an 
intelligent  description  of  this  appliance ;  perhaps 
it  cannot  be  given  without  drawings ;  but  he  thinks 
every  carder  will  understand  and  appreciate  its 
work.  Mr.  Edwards,  the  inventor,  is  a  veteran 
carder,  and  a  man  who  has  invented  and  applied  a 
great  many  important  improvements  to  carding 
machinery.  This  is  the  only  one  he  has  ever 
patented,  and  this  one  is  shut  up  in  a  few  frames 
in  the  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Company's  mills 
in  Lowell,  Mass.  The  reason  is  his  genius,  indus- 
try and  perseverance  are  only  excelled  by  his 
modesty.  He  has  scarcely  told  anybody  that  he 
has  such  a  thing ;  but  it  is  of  too  much  impor- 
tance to  be  thus  concealed.  Cotton  manufacturers 
should  have  the  benefit  of  it,  and  they  surely  will 
when  it  is  known. 

Tension  varies  more  in  frames  where  the  presser 
is  used  than  on  soft  work,  for  the  reason  that  the 
bobbins  of  roving  don't  yield  so  much  ;  but  there 
should  be  no  strain  allowed  in  this  place  on  any 
kind  of  frames. 

Next  in  order  is  twist.  It  has  been  a  question 
of  considerable  importance  to  carders  to  know  ex- 
actly how  much  to  twist  roving  in  order  to  secure 
the  greatest  production,  and  at  the  same  time  make 
it  strong  enough  to  hold  and  run  well,  and  handle 
without'  difficulty.     The  square  root  of  the  hank 


102    WILSON'S  COTTOX  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

has  been  adopted  as  a  basis  on  which  to  work — 
not  that  it  has  anything  in  particular  to  do  with  it, 
only  as  it  forms  a  regular  scale  on  which  to  work. 
There  are  twist-tables  in  abundance ;  they  are 
about  as  varied  as  the  men  who  made  them.  Some 
twist-table  manufacturers  understand  their  business, 
and  others  do  not ;  some  are  made  on  a  regular 
grading  scale,  others  are  not.  There  are  some  rules 
that  should  be  adopted  in  establishing  roving  twist 
for  any  kind  of  frames.  First,  there  should  be  a 
regular  grading  scale  used  ;  second,  the  same  rule 
should  be  used  for  all  kinds,  i.  e.,  coarse,  interme- 
diate and  fine,  on  the  same  class  of  frames. 

In  order  to  a  proper  understanding  of  this 
subject,  and  to  begin  at  the  bottom,  we  will  first 
consider  the  term  "  hank."  A  hank  of  roving  or 
yarn  (cotton)  is  840  yards  ;  and  when  we  say 
half-hank,  we  mean  that  420  yards  of  such  weigh 
a  pound;  three-fourths  of  a  hank  (630  yards) 
>veigh  a  pound;  one  hank  (840  yards)  weighs  a 
pound;  two  hanks  (1680  yards)  weigh  a  pound  ; 
and  so  on  of  all  kinds.  When  we  use  the  square 
root  of  the  hank  as  a  basis  to  work  on  in  estab- 
lishing twist,  it  is  the  general  custom  to  multiply 
the  square  root  of  the  hank  by  some  number 
uniformly,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  as  for 
instance :  1.20  is  a  favorite  multiplier  by  our  Eng- 
lish brethren  for  fly  frames.  That  means  to  multi- 
ply all  kinds  of  hank,  from  the  coarsest  slubber  to 
the  finest  fly  frame,  by  1.20  to  get  the  proper  twist, 
and  the  same  of  any  other  multiplier.  Any  one 
may  tell  the  first  time  he  puts  his  eye  on  a  twist 
table  (no  matter  whose)  what  the  maker  used  for 
a  multiplier,  that  is,  if  the  table  is  regular.  See 
what  the  twist  of  1  hank  roving  is,  as  the  square 
root  of  1  is  always  1 ;  whatever  it  says  twist  1 
hank,  is  the  multiplier  used.     We  have  said  that 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     103 

where  the  square  root  is  used  as  a  basis  for  calcu- 
lating twist,  it  is  the  general  custom  to  use  some 
number  as  a  multiplier ;  and  it  is,  though  the  rule 
has  exceptions,  as  there  are  some  who  use  the 
square  root  "  straight,"  without  any  multiplier  at 
all.  In  that  case  the  twist  of  1  hank  would  be  1 
turn  of  twist  to  the  inch,  and  so  on  in  that  propor- 
tion for  all  kinds  of  hank.  We  find  different 
parties  in  these  days  using  for  a  multiplier  of  the 
square  root  of  the  hank  as  a  basis  for  twist  of  rov- 
ing, numbers  all  the  way  from  1.05  to  1.48,  or 
rather,  we  find  twist  that  would  require  such  vari- 
ety of  numbers  as  that  to  give  them. 

The  object  of  twist  is  to  put  roving  in  compact 
form — so  compact  as  to  hold  together  in  good  order 
to  wind  on  the  bobbin,  as  it  is  made  in  the  frame, 
and  render  off  in  the  creels  of  other  roving  and 
spinning  frames,  without  stretching  or  straining 
in  the  process,  and  that  is  all  the  twist  that  is 
needed  ;  more  is  injurious.  A  twist  table  will  be 
found  in  the  chapter  of  tables,  with  as  small  in- 
tervals as  is  practicable.  The  square  root  of  the 
hank  is  carefully  worked  out  and  placed  opposite 
everv  number :  the  fraction  is  carried  out  three 
figures;  that  is  far  enough  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses. The  multiplier  that  is  used  is  1.24,  and  it 
is  designed  for  the  Lowell  speeder,  double  taper 
bobbins.  The  writer  has  used  such  twist  on  these 
same  frames  with  success  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  would  recommend  that  number  as  a  multiplier 
for  the  square  j:oot  of  the  hank  roving  for  that 
kind  of  frames — 1.20  for  fly  frames  and  slubbers  ; 
1.18  for  soft  work,  where  there  are  no  pressers.  He 
would  not  lay  down  an  arbitrary  rule  to  be  fol- 
lowed under  all  circumstances ;  but  it  is  well  to 
have  a  rule,  and  vary  from  it  when  necessary,  never 
unnecessarily  nor  for  any  outside  reason.   It  should 


104    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

never  enter  the  mind  of  a  carder  to  increase  or 
decrease  twist,  to  increase  or  decrease  quantity, 
though  it  is  often  done.  Never  try  to  twist  roving 
hard  enough  to  overcome  tension  in  roving  frames, 
bad  steps,  or  dull  skewers  in  roving  or  spinning 
frames.  After  the  twist  has  once  been  put  right 
it  should  never  be  changed  for  any  of  the  above 
reasons. 

When  to  vary  from  the  rule :  Increase — First, 
when  the  roving  breaks  or  stretches  between  the 
creel  and  the  back  roll ;  if  everything  else  is  right 
increase  twist  until  it  holds ;  second,  unusually 
high  speed  of  frames  sometimes  calls  for  more 
than  ordinary  twist ;  third,  unusually  heavy  bob- 
bins and  unusually  short  staple  of  cotton  need 
more  twist  in  either  case.  Decrease — First,  when 
it  is  noticed  that  roving  worms  about  between 
rollers  and  does  not  draw  well  :  if  everything  else 
is  right  decrease  twist  until  it  draws  through 
straight ;  second,  unusually  low  speed  of  frames, 
light  bobbins  or  long  staple  may  in  either  case  do 
with  less  twist. 

Steps  in  creels  of  roving  or  spinning  frames  and 
the  points  of  skewers  should  be  kept  in  order  all 
the  time,  or  the  roving  will  suffer.  Presses  on  all 
kinds  of  frames  should  have  a  uniform  power  of 
spring,  and  be  kept  at  right  angles  with  the  bobbin, 
especially  on  double-taper  bobbins.  An  interme- 
diate roving  frame  may  draw  from  4.75  to  5.10;  a 
fine  speeder  from  6  to  6.50. 

Flyers  should  be  w^ell  polished  out  inside,  to  in- 
sure a  smooth  passage  for  roving  through  them. 
Balance  weights  for  rails — either  bobbin  or  spindle 
— should  either  be  lighter  than  the  rail  with  bob- 
bins empty,  or  heavier  than  the  rail  with  bobbins 
full,  as  it  makes  it  very  bad  when  they  just  about 
balance  each  other.     In  that  case  the  rail  will  run 


I- 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     105 

unsteadily  and  vary  in  its  motion  all  the  back 
lash  will  allow,  will  not  wind  well,  or  make  a 
smooth  bobbin  of  roving.  They  should  hang  all 
the  time  one  way  or  the  other.  The  speed  of  the 
front  roll  in  a  coarse  speeder  may  be  from  180  to 
200  revolutions  per  minute ;  the  flyer,  from  675 
to  700  ;  intermediate  front  roll,  from  150  to  160 ; 
flyer,  from  880  to  900;  fine  front  roll,  from  112 
to  120  ;  flyer,  from  1150  to  1200.  The  improved 
fly  frame  and  slubber  long  tubes  may  run  as  fast 
as  the  speeder,  but  the  old  style,  where  the  im- 
provements are  wanting,  must  run  more  slowly. 
It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  flyers  are 
properly  balanced ;  if  they  are  not,  in  fly  frames 
the  spindles  will  wear  one-sided,  and  in  speeders, 
the  noses  of  flyers  wear  the  same.  It  is  difficult 
to  balance  flyers  with  the  presser  on,  and  they 
must  be  so  balanced.  As  the  presser  is  constantly 
changing  position,  of  course  the  run  of  the  flyer 
is  affected.  The  proper  way  to  balance  them  is  to 
do  it  on  the  fly  and  fasten  the  presser  half-way 
between  the  barrel  of  the  bobbin  and  the  outside. 
Balanced  in  this  manner  they  will  throw  one  way 
on  the  start,  and  the  other  way  when  it  is  full; 
that  is  the  best  that  can  be  done. 

It  sometimes  happens  with  a  slubber  or  a  fly 
frame,  and  occasionally  with  a  speeder,  that  the 
rail  motion  does  not  change  and  the  rail  continues 
to  move  up  or  down,  as  the  case  may  be,  until  it 
cornes  in  contact  with  something  strong  enough  to 
stop  it.  When  such  things  take  place  there  is  a 
^^ smash  up,"  frequently  doing  a  great  amount  of 
mischief  in  a  short  time.  There  are  various  causes 
that  produce  such  results.  In  a  slubber  or  fly 
frame  any  little  stick  of  the  upright  shaft,  with 
the  bevel  gear  on  top,  blanks  in  it  for  the  driver  to 
run  in  at  all  times,  except  when  changing.    If  this 


106    WILSON'S  COTTON  CAKDERS'  COMPANION. 

shaft  happens  to  stick,  so  as  not  to  start  when  the 
builder  has  passed  up  or  down  by  the  arm,  then 
the  rail  continues  to  move  on,  and  trouble  follows. 
Of  course  accidents  will  sometimes  happen,  but 
frequent  examinations  and  careful  management 
will  prevent  many  of  them.  It  is  well  to  have  a 
smart  spring  drawing  at  the  bottom  of  this  shaft, 
so  that  when  the  builder  passes  the  spring  will 
immediately  start  and  the  gear  take  into  it.  Some- 
times the  bevel  gears  at  the  top  of  this  shaft  do 
not  take  in  right ;  then  a  gear  is  broken,  and  per- 
haps other  mischief  done.  It  is  quite  a  trade  to 
set  these  gears  right ;  it  is  best  to  set  the  first  tooth 
next  the  blank,  about  half  the  thickness  of  a 
tooth  from  the  driver,  instead  of  setting  it  as  close 
as  it  will  run,  as  is  the  rule  with  some.  In  a 
speeder  or  "  stretcher,"  where  the  rail  is  carried  by 
cams,  the  rail  never  runs  by;  but  the  rack  and 
pinion  principle  as  applied  to  these  frames  is  the 
same  as  a  fly  frame,  though  the  changes  are  made 
differently  ;  they  sometimes  run  by.  It  is  impor- 
tant to  have  everything  connected  with  the  change 
and  rail  motions  adjusted  so  as  to  act  free.  In  t^e 
Lowell  speeder  double  taper,  at  the  point  where 
the  traverse  is  longest,  the  rail  goes  very  near  the 
ladder  and  the  floor,  so  if  they  do  run  by  they 
cannot  go  far,  though  it  makes  great  trouble  when 
they  do.  Everything  about  them  should  be  thor- 
oughly screwed  up,  to  start  with,  and  watched,  as 
wood  shrinks  and  other  things  take  place  to  loosen 
nuts. 

It  is  well  to  have  dripping  pans  under  all  kinds 
of  roving  frames,  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of 
every  kind.  This  is  not  generally  practised  w  ith 
fly  frames,  but  it  would  be  better  to  do  so,  as  more 
or  less  oil  gets  on  the  floor  and  will  in  time  w  ork 
through.     A  mixture  of  one-third  sperm  and  two- 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION.     107 

thirds  Downie's  paraffine  oil  makes  a  very  good 
lubricator  for  carding  room  machinery — better,  in 
some  respects,  than  clear  sperm  oil,  as  it  will  not 
gum  and  is  cheaper. 

The  beauty  of  a  roving  frame  of  any  kind  is  to 
have  it  sit  level  and  straight,  so  that  everything 
will  run  perfectly  easy.  If  the  spindle  or  bobbin 
rail  goes  at  all  hard,  it  will  strain  the  roving ;  so 
of  cones,  or  the  compound,  unless  the  bobbin  leads, 
and  in  that  case  the  ends  will  run  loose,  which 
is  not  as  bad  as  straining,  though  it  is  bad  enough. 
In  either  case  they  should  go  free,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  them  so,  the  suggestions  above 
should  be  heeded ;  and  in  addition,  keep  them 
clean  and  well  oiled.  Perhaps  it  should  be  men- 
tioned that  the  above-named  oil  has  been  charged 
with  staining  cotton  when  it  gets  on  it,  and  that  the 
stains  will  not  bleach  out  very  readily.  All  this 
trouble  may  be  avoided  by  using  clear  sperm  for 
rolls,  spindles  and  pressors,  and  the  other  for  all 
underneath  work. 

Cone  belts  should  not  be  made  of  hard  or  stiff 
leather ;  if  they  are  it  is  difficult  to  make  them 
hold,  and  if  they  do  not  hold  well  the  same  results 
follow  that  have  been  mentioned  in  connection  with 
hard-going  rails  or  spindles.  Belts  for  speeders 
should  not  be  so  tight  as  to  start  the  frame  with 
a  jerk  ;  if  they  are  there  is  a  liability  to  be  a  slip 
of  the  cone  belts  and  a  straining  of  roving. 

Bobbins  sometimes  "  dance "  and  cause  bad 
winding,  and  consequently  strain  roving.  There 
are  various  causes  for  dancing  bobbins.  First,  the 
spindle  or  bobbin  shaft  may  be  out  of  true  and 
cause  a  throw.  If  it  is  so,  straighten  it  at  once. 
Second,  a  little  bunch  of  cotton  or  some  other  sub- 
stance may  have  got  into  the  gears  that  drive.  If 
so,  remove  them.      Third,  gears  may  be  set  too 


108    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEES'  COMPANION. 

close,  especially  spiral  bevels.  If  that  is  the  case, 
set  them  right.  Fourth,  the  bobbin  may  be  loose 
on  the  speeder  spindle,  and  the  jar  of  the  frame 
produce  the  dancing.  This  is  a  hard  disease  to 
cure.  Exposure  to  a  damp  air  may  help  such,  but 
don't  let  them  dance. 

There  should  be  a  traverse  to  the  trumpet  rod 
in  all  roving  frames,  and  have  it  work  as  long  as 
the  bosses  of  the  rolls  will  admit.  A  very  quick 
traverse  is  not  so  good'  as  a  more  moderate  one. 

If  a  roving  frame  does  not  let  off  at  any  time, 
and  runs  up  and  down  two  or  three  times,  or  until 
the  roving  gets  strained  so  much  that  it  begins  to 
break  down,  and  the  girl  comes  and  says — "  My 
frame  won't  run  ;  there  don't  seem  to  be  any  twist 
in  the  roving  "  ;  then  doff  that  frame,  and  wind  off 
the  roving  until  it  comes  good.  Never  let  such 
pass  into  the  spinning-room  ;  it  makes  abominable 
yarn,  and  will  spoil  the  run  of  a  whole  web,  per- 
haps. It  is  true  that  this  treatment  makes  w^aste, 
and  a  very  bad  kind  of  waste  to  re-work ;  but  it 
is  the  lesser  of  two  evils. 

As  this  is  the  last  process  cotton  goes  through, 
before  spinning,  it  may  be  well  before  closing  this 
chapter  to  recapitulate  a  little.  A  synopsis  of  the 
whole  thing  may  be  more  convenient  and  satisfac- 
tory, in  a  work  of  this  character,  than  to  be  obliged 
to  turn  to  many  different  places  to  find  all  the  par- 
ticulars.* 

First,  then,  we  will  begin  with  the  picker.  The 
whole  draught  in  a  set  of  pickers  and  lappers  may 
vary  from  4  to  10 ;  card  draught,  from  60  to  80 ; 


*The  author's  manuscript  is  all  in  the  hands  of  the  printer  at 
this  time,  so  far  as  written  and  corrected,  and  he  has  only  two  or 
three  sheets  on  hand ;  but  he  thinks  he  has  this  subject  sufficiently 
well  in  mind  to  go  over  it  very  nearly  as  it  has  been  written,  and 
he  trusts  that  any  small  variation  under  these  circumstances  may 
be  pardoned. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     109 

railways,  from  4  to  5 ;  first  head  drawing,  from  3 
to  3i ;  second  head,  from  31  to  4 ;  coarse  speeder, 
from  4  to  4:h;  intermediate,  from  41  to  6i;  fine 
frames,  6  to  61^ ;  slubbers  and  fly  frames,  same  as 
speeders ;  speed  of  beaters  in  a  picker  or  lapper, 
ordinarily  from  1,400  to  1,800,  according  to  size  of 
beater  ;  card  cylinders,  from  120  to  160,  according 
to  circumstances ;  front  roll  in  railway,  from  325 
to  375 ;  drawing,  from  350  to  400  ;  coarse  speeder, 
from  180  to  200;  intermediate,  from  150  to  160  ; 
fine  frame,  from  110  to  120;  coarse  speeder  flyers, 
from  680  to  700;  intermediate,  from  850  to  900; 
fine  frame,  from  1,000  to  1,100. 

These  speeds  are  calculated  for  modern,  im- 
proved frames  ;  if  they  are  old-fashioned  or  shaky, 
it  is  not  well  to  run  them  so  fast.  For  the  new 
Higgins  and  some  other  machines  the  builders 
claim  that  their  frames,  with  long  bolsters,  centri- 
fugal pressers  and  other  improvements,  will  run  at 
much  higher  speeds  than  mentioned  above.  The 
writer  has  had  some  experience  with  such,  and  he 
would  not  recommend  running  any  of  them  at  a 
higher  speed  than  he  has  mentioned,  either  for 
quantity  or  quality. 

One  very  important  matter  in  carding  cotton 
and  preparing  it  for  the  spinner  is  to  handle  care- 
fully in  every  process.  Don't  tear  laps,  snarl 
drawing,  bang  roving  about,  or  let  it  lie  on  frames 
or  anywhere  else  until  it  is  all  covered  with  lint 
and  dust.  If  it  must  lie,  cover  it  up.  Roving  is 
best  when  first  made ;  whatever  may  be  the  case 
with  yarn,  roving  does  not  improve  by  age. 

Progressive  doublings  and  drawing  have  to  be 
taken  into  account  in  making  calculations  for  a 
new  mill  or  in  changing  an  old  one ;  and  though 
we  cannot  make  exact  calculations,  always  to  be 
depended  upon  to  a  fraction  of  a  grain,  yet  we 

10 


110    WILSON'S  COTTON  CAKDERS'  COMPANION. 

may  approximate  very  nearly  to  what  we  desire 
by  figures ;  and  then,  when  we  come  to  put  work 
through  the  machinery,  make  such  changes  as  are 
necessary  to  get  the  exact  thing.  The  reason  why 
such  calculations  do  not  always  hold  out  according 
to  figures,  or  give  such  results  practically  as  a 
correct  theory  says  they  will,  is  owing  to  the  fact 
that  machinery  is  not  perfect  in  all  its  parts;  that 
is  to  say,  all  the  pulleys,  rollers  and  cylinders  may 
not  always  measure  exactly  what  they  are  said  to 
measure.  Again :  some  part  of  the  work  has  to 
be  estimated.  It  is  not  known,  nor  can  it  be 
known,  exactly  how  much  cotton  may  be  thrown 
off  in  the  shape  of  waste  in  working ;  but  we  can 
usually  come  near  enough  to  warrant  a  start,  and 
then,  as  has  been  suggested  above,  make  such 
changes  as  appear  to  be  necessary  to  obtain  what 
we  desire.  Take  an  example :  We  will  suppose  a 
certain  picker  lap  weighs  10  ounces  or  4,375  grains 
per  yard.  Whole  draught  from  breaker-lap  roll  to 
lap-head  delivering  roll  67.20,  which  we  use  for  a 
divisor  for  the  weight  of  lap  ;  4,375-^67.20=64.53 
grains  as  the  weight  of  one  yard  of  breaker  sliver, 
as  delivered  from  the  card.  Next  we  multiply  the 
weight  of  one  yard  by  the  number  of  cards  doubled 
into  the  lap-head,  and  we  will  call  the  number  75  : 
64.53X75=4,889.75  grains  as  the  weight  of  one 
yard  of  finisher  lap ;  5  per  cent,  out  for  loss  in  card- 
ing where  there  are  no  screens,  and  the  flyings  re- 
worked =4,594.75  as  the  real  weight  of  one  yard 
of  finisher-lap  ready  to  be  carded.  66.21  draught 
for  finishers,  and  4i  per  cent,  for  loss,  will  make  a 
yard  of  drawing  sliver  from  finisher-cards  weigh 
66.27  grains;  1.11  out  for  draught  between  card 
delivery  and  the  back  roll  of  railway=63.50  grains 
as  the  weight  of  a  yard  of  finisher  drawing,  as  re- 
ceived by  the  railway.     63.50X9  (the  number  of 


WILSON'S  C0TT0:N^  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     Ill 

finishers  into  one  railway )=57 1.50  as  the  weight 

of  one  yard  of  the  sheet,  as  doubled  and  enters 

the  railway  to  the  drawing  down  ;  671.50-^-4.50 

i  (railway  draught )=127  as  the  weight  of  one  yard 

of  railway  drawing,  as  delivered  from  that  head. 

,  127X2    (doublings   in   first   head  of  drawing)= 

I  154-3.12  (draught  of  first  head)=81  grains  that  a 

;  yard  of  second  head  drawing  should  weigh.  81X3 

I  (doubling  for  third  head)=243-^3.57  (draught  of 

I  third' head)=68  grains  as  the  weight  of  a  yard  of 

i  drawing  from  the  third  head.     68-^4.10   (coarse 

speeder  draught )=16.58  grains  as  the  weight  of  a 

yard  of  coarse  speeder   roving.     16.58X12   (see 

rule   for  hank  roving)=199  grains  to  12  yards. 

100.0 0-^1 9 9=T%%  hank  roving  for  coarse  speeder. 

199X2  (doubling  for  intermediate)=398.     398- 

5.25  (draught  of  intermediate)=75.80  grains  that 

12    yards    of    intermediate    roving    will    weigh. 

100.00-75.80=1.31    as    the    hank.     75.80X2== 

151.60    doubling   for   fine   frame.     151.60-6.50 

(draught  of  fine  frame)zr:r23.32  as  the  weight  of  12 

yards  of  fiie  roving.    100.00-23.32=4.31  hank; 

and  if  it  is  desired  it  can  be  taken  one  step  farther 

and  be  put  into  yarn,  though  this  is  not  carders' 

business  as  a  general  thing.     But  it  is  well  for 

every  carder  to  understand  all  about  it. 

Suppose  the  draught  of  a  spinning  frame  to  be 
7.25 ;  then  7.25x4.31=31.25  (nearly)  as  the  nuni- 
ber  of  the  yarn ;  but  practically  we  find  that  it 
would  be  heavier  than  figures  show,  because  the 
twist  in  the  yarn  takes  up  a  little ;  so  we  find  it 
necessary  to  add  three  per  cent,  for  this  shrinkage, 
or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  subtract  three  per  cent, 
from  the  number  of  the  yarn  as  shown  by  figures : 
31.25X3=94  (nearly);  31.25-.94=30.31,  and 
that  is  about  the  number  of  yarn  that  such  roving 
and  spinning  draught  as  described  will  make.  The 


112    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

carder  can  tell  what  number  of  yarn  the  spinner 
is  making  at  any  time  if  he  knows  his  draught. 

The  above  plan  of  operation  for  calculating  the 
numbers  for  a  mill  is  shown  above,  in  principle ; 
any  number  desired  can  be  worked  out  in  that 
manner.  Or,  reverse  the  operation  ;  begin  with 
the  yarn,  and  the  weight  of  picker  lap  necessary 
to  make  it  will  be  shown. 

The  doublings  of  a  mill  are  reckoned  as  follows : 
Suppose  three  laps  are  run  into  one  on  the  finisher 
picker,  as  is  the  case  in  most  modern  pickers ;  if  it 
is  only  two,  then  begin  with  two,  or  if  it  is  only 
one  and  the  doublings  don't  begin  until  we  come 
to  cards,  then  begin  there  wherever  the  doublings 
commence,  but  for  an  example  we  will  call  it  three 
into  one  on  the  last  picker,  75  into  one  lap-head, 
10  into  one  railway,  2  into  first  head  of  drawing, 
3  into  second  head,  2  into  intermediate,  and  2  into 
fine  frame.  They  would  run  thus:  3X76X10X 
2X3X2X2=54,000,  and  that  is  enough  for  ordina- 
ry kinds  of  work.  Doublings  are  more  nowadays 
than  formerly,  that  is,  where  the  carding  is  double. 
Suppose  we  take  an  example  of  single  carding  to 
see  where  we  come  out,  and  we  will  suppose  every- 
thing is  well  adapted  to  that  kind  of  work.  We 
will  have  to  start  with  the  three  ends  in  the  picker 
as  before,  then  the  ten  ends  in  the  railway  and  the 
rest  are  all  the  same:  3X10X2X3X2X2=720 
doublings ;  and  though  it  is  a  fact  that  so  far  as 
evening  the  work  is  concerned  the  drawing  and 
roving  frames  do  that,  yet  it  is  another  fact  that  the 
double  carding  and  more  doublings  make  smoother 
and  better  work.  The  writer  once  worked  in  a 
place  where  there  were  120  doublings  made  in  the 
following  manner :  picker  2  into  one,  single  cards 
10  into  one,  drawing  3  into  one,  fine  frames  2  into 
one:  2X10X3X2=120,  and   the   yarn   was   not 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     113 

good,  and  never  will  be  as  long  as  that  plan  is 
pursued.  Doublings  can  be  carried  to  any  desired 
extent,  but  if  they  are  carried  too  far  on  drawing 
it  gets  very  tender  and  slippery  and  don't  work 
well. 

Perhaps  no  better  idea  of  the  production  of  a 
speeder  can  be  given  than  a  table  prepared  by 
George  Richardson,  Esq.,  Superintendent  of  the 
Lowell  Machine  Shop,  Lowell,  Mass.  He  has 
founded  these  tables  on  the  actual  average  produc- 
tion of  the  Lowell  speeder,  and  he  has  kindly 
allowed  the  author  to  introduce  them  here  for  gen- 
eral information. 


10* 


114    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


Lovv^ell  Speeder.— 1875. 

Si  in.  space. — 12  in.  traverse. 

Tables  showing  production,  &c.,  under  10-hour  system  and  ordinary  circumstances. 


No.  of 

Grains  per 

Twist  per 

Rev.  of  V4 
in.  front 

Rev.  of 

Hanks  per 

Pounds  per 

Roving. 

yard. 

inch. 

roll  per 
minute. 

flyer  per 
minute. 

day  per 
spindle. 

day  per 
spindle. 

.25 

33.33 

.640 

248.68 

625 

12.595 

50.378 

.26 

32.05 

.653 

243.84 

625 

12.452 

47.892 

.27 

30.86 

.665 

239.29 

625 

12.334 

45.680 

.28 

29.76 

.677 

235.05 

625 

12.220 

43.641 

.29 

28.73 

.689 

230.89 

625 

12.109 

41.756 

.30 

27.77 

.701 

227.00 

6-25 

12.003 

40.009 

.31 

26.88 

.713 

223.25 

625 

11.900 

38.387 

.32 

26.04 

.725 

219.68 

625 

11.013 

36.037 

.33 

25.25 

.735 

216.63 

625 

11.736 

35.564 

.34 

24.51 

.746 

213.18 

625 

11.658 

34.288 

.35 

23.81 

.758 

208.64 

625 

11.567 

33.047 

.36 

23.15 

.768 

207.23 

625 

11.508 

31.966 

.37 

22.52 

.778 

204.52 

925 

11.451 

30.948 

.38 

21.93 

.789 

201.85 

625 

11.381 

29.949 

.39 

21.36 

.799 

199.27 

625 

11.327 

29.043 

.40 

20.83 

.809 

196.73 

625 

11.274 

28.185 

.41 

20.32 

.819 

194.28 

625 

11.223 

27.373 

.42 

19.84 

.829 

191.89 

625 

11.173 

26.602 

.43 

19.38 

.840 

189.53 

625 

11.111 

25.839 

.44 

18.94 

.849 

187.55 

625 

11.076 

26.1T6 

.45 

18.52 

.859 

185.30 

625 

11.029 

24.510 

.46 

18.12 

.869 

183.06 

625 

10.984 

23.877 

.47 

17.73 

.878 

181.25 

625 

10.952 

23.302 

.48 

17.36 

.887 

179.43 

625 

10.920 

22.750 

.49 

17.00 

.896 

177.63 

625 

10.890 

22.223 

.50 

16.66 

.905 

175.86 

625 

10.860 

21.719 

.51 

16.34 

.914 

174.15 

625 

10.830 

21.235 

.52 

16.02 

.923 

172.45 

625 

10.800 

20.770 

.53 

15.72 

.932 

170.80 

625 

10.772 

20.325 

.54 

15.43 

.941 

169.17 

625 

10.744 

19.897 

.55 

15.15 

.950 

167.57 

625 

10.717 

19.485 

.56 

14.88 

.957 

166.24 

625 

10.712 

19.129 

.57 

14.62 

.966 

164.69 

625 

10.686 

18.747 

.58 

14.37 

.975 

163.17 

625 

10.660 

18.379 

.59 

14.12 

.983 

161.91 

625 

10.645 

18.042 

.60 

13.88 

.992 

160.44 

625 

10.620 

17.699 

Driving  pulleys  are  13  inches  diameter,  2|  inches  face. 
Speed  of  pulleys=.307  revolutions  per  minute. 
Cotton  on  full  bobbin=60  to  64  oz. 
Lengths  of  Speeders,  including  pulleys,  are  as  follows : 


20  spindles 

16  ft.,    2.5  in 

22 

17    "    7.5 

24 

19     '*      .5 

26 

20    "    5.5 

28 

21     "  10.5 

30 

23     "    3.5 

32 

24    "    8.5 

long. 


34  spindles,  26  ft. 


36 
38 
40 
42 
44 


27 
28 
30 
31 
33 


Those  of 
1.5  in.  long, 
6.0 
11.5 
4.5 
9.5 
2.5 


Width  outside  =20  inches. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION.     115 


Lo^vell  Speeder.— 1875. 
6i  in.  space.— 9i  in.  traverse. 

Tables  showing  production,  &c.,  under  10-hour  system  and  ordinary  circumstances. 


No.  of 

Grains  per 

Twist  per 

Rev.  of  1% 
in.  front 

Rev.  of 

Hanks  per 

Pounds  per 

Bovitig. 

yard. 

inch. 

roll  per 
minute. 

flyer  per 
minute. 

day  per 
spindle. 

spindle. 

.50 

16.66 

.905 

281.38 

900 

13.812 

27.624 

.55 

15.15 

.950 

268.11 

900 

13.270 

24.128 

.60 

13.88 

.990 

256.70 

900 

12.843 

21.405 

.65 

12.82 

1.080 

246.82 

900  • 

12.448 

19.151 

.70 

11.90 

1.070 

237.67 

900 

12.083 

17.261 

.75 

11.11 

1.108 

229.73 

900 

11.765 

15.687 

.80 

10.42 

1.144 

222.54 

900 

11.488 

14.361 

.85 

9.80 

1.180 

215.77 

900 

11.229 

13.210 

.90 

9.26 

1.215 

209.64 

900 

10.994 

12.215 

.95 

8.77 

1.248 

204.09 

900 

10.788 

11.356 

1.00 

8.33 

1.280 

198.94 

900 

10.603 

10.603 

1.05 

7.93 

1.310 

194.09 

900 

10.442 

9.944 

1.10 

7.58 

1.340 

189.65 

900 

10.288 

9.353 

1.15 

7.25 

1.370 

185.58 

900 

10.141 

8.818 

1.20 

6.94 

1.402 

181.68 

900 

9.986 

8.321 

1.25 

6.66 

1.430 

177.95 

900 

9.865 

7.892 

1.30 

6.41 

1.459 

174.48 

900 

9.742 

7.494 

1.35 

6.17 

1.487 

171.20 

•900 

'    9.631 

7.134 

1.40 

5.95 

1.514 

168.17 

900 

9.530 

6.807 

1.45 

5.75 

1.540 

165.24 

900 

9.439 

6.509 

1.50 

5.55 

1.568 

162.40 

900 

9.339 

6.226 

1.55 

5.38 

1.590 

159.80 

900 

,  9.277 

5.985 

1.60 

5.21 

1.619 

157.27 

900 

9.177 

5.735 

1.65 

5.05 

1.645 

154.82 

900 

9.097 

5.513 

1.70 

4.90 

1.669 

152.57 

900 

9.030 

5.312 

1.75 

4.76 

1.693 

150.40 

900 

8.965 

5.123 

Driving  pulleys  are  13  inches  diameter,  2|  inches  face. 
Speed  of  pulley8=442  revolutions  per  minute. 
Cotton  on  full  bobbin =25  to  30  oz. 
Length  of  Speeders,  including  pulleys,  are  as  follows : 


52 
54 
56 

58 
60 


36  spindles 

21ft.,    8.5  in.  long. 

38        '' 

22     "    9.5      " 

40 

23     "  10.5      " 

42        " 

24     "  11.5      " 

44        " 

26     "      .5      " 

46 

27    "    1.5      " 

48 

28     "    2.5      " 

)llows : 

Those  of 

29  ft., 

3.5  in.  long. 

30    " 

4.5      '' 

31    " 

6.5      " 

32    « 

6.5      " 

33    " 

7.5      " 

34    " 

8.5      " 

Width  outside=20  inches. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


Lowell   Speeder.— 1875. 

5  in.  space. — 8i  in.  traverse. 

Tables  showing  production,  &c.,  under  10-hour  system  and  ordinary  circumstances. 


No.  of 

Grains  per 

Twist  per 

Rev.  of  1>^ 
in.  front 

Rev.  of 
flyer  per 

Hanks  per 

Pounds  per 

Roving. 

yard. 

inch. 

roll  per 

day  per 
spindle. 

day  per 

minute. 

iXLllJUtC* 

spindle. 

1.20 

6.940 

1.402 

242.18 

1200 

12.737 

10.614 

1.30 

6.410 

1.459 

232.71 

1200 

12.321 

9.478 

1.40 

5.950 

1.514 

224.26 

1200 

11.952 

8.537 

1.50 

5.550 

1.568 

216.54 

1200 

11.616 

7.744 

1.60 

5.210 

1.619 

209.72 

1200 

11.324 

7.077 

1.70 

4.900 

1.669 

203.43 

1200 

11.056 

6.503 

1.80 

4.630 

1.718 

197.63 

1200 

10.810 

6.005 

1.90 

4.380 

1.764 

192.47 

1200 

10.596 

5.579 

2.00 

4.166 

1.805 

188.11 

1200 

10.421 

5.210 

2.10 

3.970 

1.855 

183.04 

1200 

10.204 

4.859 

2.20 

3.780 

1.898 

178.89 

1200 

10.036 

4.562 

2.30 

3.620 

1.940 

175.02 

1200 

9.880 

4.295 

2.40 

3.470 

1.983 

171.22 

1200 

9.725 

4.052 

2.50 

3.330 

2.022 

167.92 

1200 

9.597 

3.839 

2.60 

3.205 

2.063 

164.58 

1200 

9.464 

3.640 

2.70 

3.090 

2.103 

161.45 

1200 

9.340 

3.459 

2.80 

2.980 

2.141 

158.58 

1200 

9.230 

3.296 

2.90 

2.870 

2.180 

155.75 

1200 

9.120 

3.145 

3.00 

2.777 

2.214 

153.36 

1200 

9.033 

3.011 

3.10 

2.680 

2.253 

150.70 

1200 

8.930 

2.881 

3.20 

2.600 

2.290 

148.27 

1200 

8.838 

2.762 

3.30 

2.530 

2..S24 

146.10 

1200 

8.759 

2.654 

3.40 

2.450 

2.360 

143.87 

1200 

8.676 

2.552 

3.50 

2..380 

2.395 

141.77 

1200 

8.599 

2.457 

3.60 

2.310 

2.428 

139.84 

1200 

8.531 

2.370 

3.70 

2.250 

2.460 

138.02 

1200 

8.469 

2.289 

3.80 

2.193 

2.495 

136.09 

1200 

8.398 

2.210 

3.90 

2.140 

2.528 

134.31 

1200 

8.335 

2.137 

4.00 

2.083 

2.560 

132.63 

1200 

8.278 

2.069 

4.10 

2.030 

2.592 

130.99 

1200 

8.221 

2.005 

4.20 

1.980 

2.623 

129.44 

1200 

8.169 

1.945 

4.30 

1.938 

2.655 

127.88 

1200 

8.116 

1.887 

4.40 

1.890 

2.685 

126.46 

1200 

8.069 

1.834 

4.50 

1.850 

2.714 

126.26 

1200 

8.027 

1.784 

4.60 

1.810 

2.746 

123.65 

1200 

7.977 

1.734 

4.70 

1.770 

2.775 

122.35 

1200 

7.936 

1.689 

4.80 

1.740 

2.803 

121.13 

1200 

7.900 

1.646 

4.90 

1.700 

2.834 

119.80 

1200 

7.855 

1.603 

5.00 

1.666 

2.862 

118.64 

1200 

7.820 

1.564 

Driving  pulleys  are  13  inches  diameter,  2|  inches  face. 

Speed  of  pulleys  =453  revolutions  per  minute. 

Cotton  on  full  bobbin =12  to  14  oz. 

Lengths  of  Speeders,  including  pulleys,  are  as  follows :  Those  of 

44  spindles,  20  ft., 


22 
23 
25 
27 


6  in.  long, 
2 

10 
6 
2 
Width  outside 


64  spindles 

,28  ft., 

10  in. 

long. 

68        " 

30  " 

6 

72 

32  " 

2 

<( 

76        " 

33  " 

10 

(< 

80        " 

35  " 

6 

« 

20  inches. 

WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.    II7 

It  will  be  noticed  by  close  observers  that  Mr. 
Richardson  makes  ejaculations  to  put  more  twist  in 
roving  than  does  the  author  of  this  work ;  Mr. 
Richardson  uses  1.28  as  a  multiplier  for  the  square 
root  of  the  hank. 

Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  adjusting  the 
shoe  or  builder  of  the  Lowell  Speeder,  or  any  other 
roving  frame  where  the  double  taper  is  used.  If 
the .  bobbin  in  filling  runs  a  little  more  on  one 
taper  than  the  other,  on  the  first  taper,  the  place 
it  runs  over  the  roving  will  be  strained,  and  the 
other  end  will  soon  grow  so  slack  that  the  end  will 
break  down  every  time  it  comes  to  that  place. 
Mr.  Jabez  Edwards  (who  has  invented  so  many 
useful  things)  has  invented  an  adjustable  shoe,  or 
rather  adjustable  plates,  which  are  attached  to  the 
shoe  in  such  a  manner  that  any  irregularities  of 
this  kind  can  be  set  right  at  once,  without  filing 
or  even  removing  the  builder. 

The  distance  of  rollers  in  a  roving  or  in  any 
frame  where  drawing  is  done,  should  be  just  a  trifle 
more  than  the  longest  fibres  of  cotton ;  and  re- 
member that  the  bites  of  rollers  are  a  little  closer 
than  the  measure  from  center  to  center,  as  the  top 
rollers  pressed  down  cover  some  space. 

It  is  well  to  weigh  fine  roving  every  day  or 
enough  to  get  the  average — say  ten  bobbins  from 
different  parts  of  the  room ;  keep  a  record,  and  on 
Saturday  add  and  average.  It  is  well  to  have 
sufficient  of  the  hank  table  copied  to  cover  the 
variations  in  the  same  room.  Stick  it  up  near  the 
weigher's  bench,  so  that  when  the  average  is  taken 
(always  weighing  twelve  yards  at  a  time)  refer- 
ence to  the  table  will  show  the  hank  at  a  glance. 
Where  roving  frames  have  hank  clocks,  take  the 
number  of  hanks  indicated  by  the  clock,  multiply 
by  the  number  of  spindles  and  divide  by  the  aver- 


118    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

age  hank  during  the  week,  and  it  gives  the  pro- 
duction in  pounds.  If  roving  frames  have  other 
than  hank  clocks,  it  is  necessary  to  ascertain  by 
trial  what  a  set  will  weigh  ;  then  multiply  sets  by 
the  pounds  one  set  weighs ;  and  don't  set  it  down 
as  fixed  forever,  that  a  set  will  always  weigh  ex- 
actly the  same,  even  though  the  conditions  are 
apparently  the  same ;  try  them  once  in  a  while, 
say  in  the  spring  and  again  in  the  fall ;  they  may 
vary  some.  It  is  well  to  be  regular  in  weighing, 
and  have  the  same  man  do  it  all  the  time,  if  pos- 
sible. It  don't  make  so  much  diflference  where  it 
is  done  as  it  does  how  it  is  done;  that  is,  it  may 
be  done  in  the  railway  drawing,  fine  drawing, 
coarse,  intermediate  or  fine  roving,  or  all  these  ; 
but  let  it  be  done  regularly.  Good,  nice,  sensitive 
scales  are  essential  to  correct  weighing  and  ascer- 
taining hank  accurately.  Where  no  better  means 
of  testing  roving  scales  can  be  employed  the  fol- 
lowing may  be  resorted  to  :  Weigh  a  good  United 
States  nickel  five-cent  piece ;  it  weighs  77  grains. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


Miscellany. 

HANK  table:  explanation — RULE  TO  FIND  HANK  — TWIST 
.table:  EXPLANATION — RULE  TO  FIND  TWIST— HYGRO- 
METER table:  EXPLANATION  AND  USE  — TABLE  OF  QUAN- 
TITY OF  BELTING  IN  ROLLS  IN  CERTAIN  CASES:  EXPLANA- 
TION —  PERPETUAL  CALENDER :  EXPLANATION  —  ADDRESS 
TO  A  COTTON  CARDER — RULE  TO  CALCULATE  DRAUGHT  — 
RULE  TO  CALCULATE  SPEED — RECEIPTS  FOR  MAKING  GLUE, 
CEMENT  AND  ROLLER  VARNISH  —  WEIGHTS  OF  VARIOUS 
ARTICLES  —  TIME. 

HANK   TABLE. 

Numher  of  yards,  12  in  all  cases. 


Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

220 

.45 

129 

.77 

91.00 

1.09 

71.00 

1.41 

57.75 

1.73 

214 

.46 

127 

.78 

90.00 

1.10 

70.00 

1.42 

57.50 

1.74 

209 

.47 

126 

.79 

89.00 

1.11 

69.50 

1.43 

57.25 

1.75 

205 

.48 

125 

.80 

88.50 

1.12 

69.00 

1.44 

57.00 

1.76 

202 

.49 

124 

.81 

88.00 

1.13 

68.50 

1.45 

56.50 

1.77 

200 

.50 

123 

.82 

87.50 

1.14 

68.00 

1.46 

56.00 

1.78 

196 

.51 

122 

.83 

87.00 

1.15 

67.50 

1.47 

5.-).50 

1.79 

193 

.52 

121 

.84 

86.00 

1.16 

67.00 

1.48 

55.25 

1.80 

189 

.53 

120 

.85 

85.00 

1.17 

66.50 

1.49 

55.00 

1.81 

185 

.54 

119 

.86 

84.50 

1.18 

66.25 

1.50 

54.75 

1.82 

182 

.55 

118 

.87 

84.00 

1.19 

66.00 

1.51 

54.50 

1.83 

179 

.56 

117 

.88 

83.50 

1.2J 

65.50 

1.52 

54.25 

1.84 

176 

.57 

116 

.89 

83.00 

1.21 

65.25 

1.53 

54.00 

1.85 

173 

.58 

115 

.90 

82.00 

1.22 

65.00 

1.54 

53.75 

1.86 

170 

.59 

113 

.91 

81.00 

1.23 

64.50 

1.55 

53.50 

1.87 

167 

.60 

111 

.92 

80.50 

1.24 

64.00 

1.56 

53.25 

1.88 

164 

.61 

109 

.93 

80.00 

1.25 

63.50 

1.57 

53.00 

1.89 

161 

.62 

107 

.94 

79.00 

1.26 

63.00 

1.58 

52.50 

1.90 

158 

.63 

105 

.95 

78.50 

1.27 

62.50 

1.59 

52.25 

1.91 

155 

.64 

104 

.96 

78.00 

1.28 

62.00 

1.60 

52.00 

1.92 

153 

.65 

103 

.97 

77.00 

1.29 

61.50 

1.61 

51.75 

1.93 

151 

.66 

102 

.98 

76.50 

1.30 

61.25 

1.62 

51.50 

1.94 

149 

.67 

101 

.99 

76.00 

1.31 

61.00 

1.63 

51.25 

1.95 

147 

.68 

100 

1.00 

75.50 

1.32 

60.75 

1.64 

51.00 

1.96 

145 

.69 

99 

1.01 

75.00 

1.33 

60.50 

1.65 

50.75 

1.97 

143 

.70 

98 

1.02 

74.50 

1.34 

60.25 

1.66 

50.50 

1.98 

141 

.71 

97 

1.03 

74  00 

1.35 

60.00 

1.67 

50.25 

1.99 

139 

.72 

96 

1.04 

73.50 

1.36 

59.50 

1.68 

50.00 

2.00 

137 

.73 

95 

1.05 

73.00 

1.37 

59.00 

1.69 

49.75 

2.01 

135 

.74 

94 

1.06 

72.50 

1.38 

58.50 

1.70 

49.50 

2.02 

133 

.75 

93 

1.07 

72.00 

1.39 

58.25 

1.71 

49.25 

2.03 

131 

.76 

92 

1.08 

71.50 

1.40 

58.00 

1.72  1  49.00 

2.04 

WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


HAISTK  TABLE— Continued. 


Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

48.75 

2.05 

38.60 

2.59 

3L90 

3.13 

27.30 

3.67 

23.75 

4.21 

48.50 

2.06 

38.50 

2.60 

31.80 

3.14 

27.20 

3.68 

23.70 

4.22 

48.25 

2.07 

38.40 

2.61 

31.70 

3.15 

27.10 

3.69 

23.65 

4.23 

48.00 

2.08 

38.20 

2.62 

31.60 

3.16 

27.00 

3.70 

23.60 

4.24 

47.75 

2.09 

38.00 

2.63 

31.50 

3.17 

26.90 

3.71 

23.50 

4.25 

47.50 

2.10 

37.85 

2.64 

31.40 

3.18 

26.80 

3.72 

23.45 

4.26 

47.25 

2.11 

37.70 

2.65 

31.30 

3.19 

26.75 

3.73 

23.40 

4.^7 

47.00 

2.12 

37.55 

2.66 

31.20 

3.20 

26.70 

3.74 

23.35 

4.28 

46.75 

2.13 

37.40 

2.67 

31.10 

3.21 

26.60 

3.75 

23.30 

4.29 

4(3.50 

2.14 

37.25 

2.68 

31.00 

3.22 

26.55 

3.76 

23.25 

4.30 

46.25 

2.15 

37.12 

2.69 

30.90 

3.23 

26.50 

3.77 

23.20 

4.31 

46.00 

2.16 

37.00 

2.70 

30.80 

3.24 

26.45 

3.78 

23.10 

4.32 

45.80 

2.17 

36.85 

2.71 

30.70 

3.25 

26.40 

3.79 

23.05 

4.33 

45.60 

2.18 

36.70 

2.72 

30.60 

3.26 

26.30 

3.80 

23.00 

4.34 

45.40 

2.19 

36.55 

2.73 

30.50 

3.27 

26.25 

3.81 

22.95 

4.35 

45.20 

2.20 

36.40 

2.74 

30.40 

3.28 

26.20 

3.82 

22.90 

4.36 

45.00 

2.21 

36.25 

2.75 

30.30 

3.29 

26.15 

3.83 

22.85 

4.37 

44.80 

2.22 

36.12 

2.76 

30.20 

3.30 

26.10 

3.84 

22.80 

4.38 

44.60 

2.23 

36.00 

2.77 

30.10 

3.31 

26.00 

3.85 

22.75 

4.39 

44.40 

2.24 

35.90 

2.78 

30.00 

3.32 

25.90 

3.86 

22.70 

4.40 

44.20 

2.25 

35.80 

2.79 

29.90 

3.33 

25.80 

3.87 

22.65 

4.41 

44.00 

2.26 

35.60 

2.80 

29.80 

3.34 

25.75 

3.88 

22.60 

4.42 

43.80 

2.27 

35.50 

2.81 

29.70 

3.35 

25.70 

3.89 

22.55 

4.43 

43.60 

2.28 

35.40 

2.82 

29.60 

3.  .36 

25.65 

3  90 

22.50 

4.44 

43.40 

2.29 

35..30 

2.83 

29.55 

3.37 

25.60 

3.91 

22.45 

4.45 

43.30 

2.30 

35.20 

2.84 

29.50 

3.38 

25.50 

3.92 

22.40 

4.46 

43.20 

2.31 

35.00 

2.85 

29.45 

3.39 

25.40 

3.93 

22..S5 

4.47 

43.10 

2.32 

34.90 

2.86 

29.40 

3.40 

25.30 

3.94 

22.30 

4.48 

43.00 

2.33 

34.80 

2.87 

29.30 

3.41 

25.25 

3.95 

22.25 

4.49 

42.80 

2.34 

34.60 

2.88 

29.20 

3.42 

25.20 

3.96 

22.20 

4.50 

42.60 

2.35 

34.50 

2.89 

29.10 

3.43 

25.15 

3.97 

22.15 

4.51 

42.40 

2.36 

34.30 

2.90 

29.00 

3.44 

25.10 

3.98 

22.10 

4.52 

42.20 

2.37 

34.20 

2.91 

28.95 

3.45 

25.05 

3.99 

22.05 

4.53 

42.00 

2.38 

34.10 

2.92 

28.90 

3.46 

25.00 

4.00 

22.00 

4.54 

41.80 

2.39 

33.90 

2.93 

28.80 

3.47 

24.90 

4.01 

21.95 

4.55 

41.60 

2.40 

33.80 

2.94 

28.70 

3.48 

24.85 

4.02 

21.90 

4.56 

41.40 

2.41 

33.70 

2.95 

28.60 

3.49 

24.80 

4.03 

21.85 

4.57 

41.20 

2.42 

33.60 

2.96 

28.50 

3.50 

24.75 

4.04 

21.80 

4.58 

41.00 

2.43 

33.50 

2.97 

28.40 

3.51 

24.70 

4.05 

21.75 

4.59 

40.85 

2.44 

33.40 

2.98 

28.30 

3.52 

24.65 

4.06 

21.70 

4.60 

40.70 

2.45 

33.30 

2.99 

28.25 

3.53 

24.60 

4.07 

21.65 

4.61 

40.55 

2.46 

33.20 

3.00 

28.20 

3.54 

24.50 

4.08 

21.60 

4.62 

40.40 

2.47 

33.10 

3.01 

28.10 

3.55 

24.40 

4.09 

21.55 

4.63 

40.25 

2.48 

33.00 

3.02 

28.05 

3.56 

24.35 

4.10 

21.50 

4.65 

40.12 

2.49 

32.95 

3.03 

28.00 

3.57 

24.30 

4.11 

21.45 

4.66 

40.00 

2.50 

32.90 

3.04 

27.90 

3.58 

24.25 

4.12 

21.40 

4.67 

39.85 

2.51 

32.80 

3.05 

27.80 

3.59 

24.20 

4.13 

21.35 

4.68 

39.70 

2.52 

32.75 

3.06 

27.75 

3.60 

24.15 

4.14 

21.30 

4.69 

39.55 

2.53 

32.70 

3.07 

27.70 

3.61 

24.10 

4  15 

21.25 

4.70 

39.40 

2.54 

32.60 

3.08 

27.60 

3.62 

24.00 

4.16 

21.20 

4.71 

39.25 

2.55 

32.55 

3.09 

27.50 

3.63 

23.95 

4.17 

21.15 

4.72 

39.12 

2.56 

32.40 

3.10 

27.45 

3.64 

23.90 

4.18 

21.10 

4.73 

39.00 

2.57 

32.20 

3.11 

27.40 

3.65 

23.85 

4.19 

21.05 

4.75 

38.80 

2.58 

32.00     3.12  '27.35 

3.66 

23.80 

4.20 

21.00 

4.76 

WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     121 
HANK  TABLE— Continued. 


Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

Grains. 

Hank. 

20.95 

4.77 

18.87 

5.30 

17.24 

5.79 

15.92 

6.28 

14.75 

6.78 

20.90 

4.78 

18.85 

5.31 

17.22 

5.80 

15.90 

6.29 

14.73 

6.79 

20.85 

4.79 

18.81 

5.32 

17.20 

5.81 

15.87 

6,30 

14.70 

6.80 

20.80 

4.80 

18.77 

5.33 

17.17 

5.82 

15.84 

6.31 

14.67 

6.82 

20.75 

4.82 

18.73 

5.34 

17.14 

5.83 

15.82 

6.32 

14.64 

6.84 

20.70 

4.83 

18.69 

5.35 

17.12 

5.84 

15.80 

6.33 

14.60 

6.86 

20.65 

4.84 

18.65 

5.36 

17.09 

5.85 

15.77 

6.34 

14.56 

6.88 

20.60 

4.85 

18.61 

5.37 

17.06 

5.86 

15.74 

6.35 

14.. 50 

6  90 

20.55 

4.86 

18.58 

5.38 

17.03 

5.87 

1.5.71 

6.36 

14.45 

6.92 

20.50 

4.87 

18.53 

5.. 39 

17.00 

5.88 

15.69 

6.37 

14.40 

6.94 

20:45' 

4.88 

18.49 

5.40 

16.97 

5.89 

15.66 

6..38 

14.36 

6.96 

20.40 

4.89 

18.45 

5.41 

16.95 

5.90 

15.64 

6.  .39 

14.32 

6.98 

20.35 

4.91 

18.42 

5.42 

16  92 

5.91 

15.62 

6.40 

14.28 

7.00 

20.30 

4.92 

18..39 

5.43 

16.90 

5.92 

15.60 

6.41 

14.24 

7.02 

20.25 

4.94 

18.36 

5.44 

16.87 

5.93 

15.57 

6.42 

14.20 

7.04 

20.20 

4.95 

18.33 

5.45 

16.85 

5.94 

15.54 

6.43 

14.16 

7.06 

20.15 

4.97 

18.29 

5.46 

16.82 

5.95 

1.5.  .52 

6.44 

14.12 

7.08 

20.10 

4.98 

18.26 

5.47 

16.80 

5.96 

15.50 

6.45 

14.08 

7.10 

20.05 

4.99 

18.23 

5.48 

10.77 

5.97 

15.47 

6.46 

14.04 

7.12 

20.00 

5.00 

18.20 

5.49 

16.74 

5.98 

15.44 

6.47 

14.00 

7.14 

19.95 

5.01 

18.17 

5.50 

16.71 

5.99 

15.42 

6.48 

12..50 

8.00 

19.90 

5.02 

18.14 

5.51 

16.68 

6.00 

15.40 

6.49 

11.00 

9.00 

19.85 

5.03 

18.11 

5.52 

16.65 

6.01 

15.37 

6.50 

10.00 

10.00 

19.83 

5.04 

18  08 

5.. 53 

16.62 

6.02 

15.35 

6.51 

9.00 

11.00 

19.80 

5.05 

18.04 

5.54 

16.59 

6.03 

15.32 

6.52 

8.33 

12.00 

19.76 

5.06 

18.00 

5..55 

16.56 

6.04 

15.30 

6.53 

7.69 

13.00 

19.71 

5.07 

17.96 

5..56 

16.53 

6.05 

15.27 

6.54 

7.12 

14.00 

19.67 

5.08 

17.92 

5.. 57 

16.50 

6.06 

15.25 

6.55 

6.66 

15.00 

19.63 

5.09 

17.89 

5..58 

16.'18 

6.07 

15.23 

6.-56 

6.25 

16.00 

19.60 

5.10 

17.85 

5.,59 

16.45 

6.08 

15.20 

6.57 

5.90 

17.00 

19.57 

5.11 

17.82 

5.60 

16.42 

6.09 

15.18 

6.. 58 

5..55 

18.00 

19.52 

5.12 

17.78 

5.(il 

16.39 

6.10 

15.16 

6..59 

5.26 

19.00 

19.48 

5.13 

17.75 

5.62 

16.36 

6.11 

1.5.14 

6.60 

5.00 

20.00 

19.44 

5.14 

17.72 

5.63 

16.33 

6.12 

15.11 

6.61 

4.76 

21.00 

19.40 

5.15 

17.69 

5.64 

16..30 

6.13 

15.09 

6.62 

4.55 

22.00 

19..36 

5.16 

17.66 

5.65 

16.27 

6.14 

15.07 

6.63 

4.34 

23.00 

19.32 

5.17 

17.63 

5.66 

16.25 

6.15 

1.5.05 

6.64 

4.16 

24.00 

19.28 

5.18 

17.60 

5.67 

16.22 

6.16 

15.03 

6.65 

4.00 

25.00 

19.24 

5.19 

17.. 57 

5.68 

16.20 

6.17 

15.00 

6.66 

3.85 

26.00 

19.20 

5.20 

17..53 

5.69 

16.17 

6.18 

14.97 

6.67 

3.70 

27.00 

19.17 

5.21 

17.50 

5.70 

16.14 

6.19 

14.94 

^.68 

3.57 

28.00 

19.13 

5.22 

17.47 

5.71 

16.12 

6.20 

14.92 

6.69 

3.45 

29.00 

19.09 

5.23 

17.44 

5.72 

16.09 

6.21 

14.90 

6.70 

3.33 

30.00 

19.05 

5.24 

17.41 

5.73 

16.06 

6.22 

14.88 

6.71 

3.22 

31.00 

19.02 

5.25 

17.38 

5.74 

16.04 

6.23 

14.86 

6.72 

3.12 

32.00 

19.00 

5.26 

17.35 

5.75 

16.02 

6.24 

14.85 

6.73 

3.03 

33.00 

18.97 

5.27 

17..32 

5.76 

16.00 

6.25 

14.82 

6.74 

18.94 

5.28 

17.29- 

5.77 

1.5.97 

6.26 

14.80 

6.75 

18.91 

5.29 

17.26 

5.78 

15.94 

6.27 

14.77 

6.76 

11 


122    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

EXPLANATION  OF  HANK  TABLE. 

We  have  already  seen  that  a  hank  is  840  yards 
of  roving.  To  ascertain  what  hank  any  particular 
kind  of  roving  is — that  is,  how  many  hanks  there 
are  to  the  pound — it  is  necessary  to  weigh  a  cer- 
tain number  of  yards.  Grains  are  generally  used 
in  weighing  roving,  but  the  pounds  (that  is,  how 
many  hanks  to  the  pound)  are  avoirdupois ;  so  in 
making  this  calculation  we  must  reduce  troy-weight 
to  avoirdupois.  We  find  that  in  one  pound  avoir- 
dupois there  are  7,000  grains ;  so  if  we  should  reel 
off  840  yards,  and  it  should  weigh  7,000  grains, 
that  would  be  one-hank  roving ;  3,600  would  be 
two-hank;  1,750  four-hank,  and  so  on;  but  this 
would  be  a  tedious  job,  and  so  we  take  a  certain 
part  of  840  yards  and  a  corresponding  part  of 
7.000  grains  and  use  the  parts  instead  of  the  whole. 
12  yards  are  ^  of  840  ;  100  is  tV  of  7,000  ;  so  we 
weigh  12  yards  and  divide  100  by  the  number  of 
grains'  weight,  and  that  gives  us  the  hank. 

EXAMPLES. 

12  yards  weigh  25  grains: 

25)100(4.     The  hank  is  4. 
100 

Again  :  12  yards  weigh  25.50  : 

25.50)100.00 ( 3.92.     The  hank  is  3.92. 
7650 

23500 
22950 


5500 
5100 

400 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     123 

Once  more  :  12  yards  weigh  24.50  : 

24.50)100.00  (4.08.     The  hank  is  4.08. 
9800 

20000 
19600 

400 

It  is  most  convenient  to  put  fractions  in  form  of 
decimals  as  in  the  above  examples.  If  12  yards, 
or  the  average  of  several  weighings,  weigh  a  cer- 
tain number  of  grains  and  a  fraction,  as  is  most 
always  the  case,  then  add  cyphers  to  the  dividend 
to  balance  the  divisor. 

From  the  foregoing  examples  and  explanations 
we  derive  the  following  rule  to  find  the  hank  : — 
First,  weigh  12  yards  of  any  kind  of  roving;  second, 
take  the  number  of  grains  12  yards  weigh  as  the 
divisor  for  100;  the  quotient  will  be  the  hank 
sought. 

There  are  a  number  of  rules  to  find  hank ;  the 
writer  has  some  half-dozen,  more  or  less;  but  the 
above  is  his  best,  so  he  gives  no  other. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


TWIST  TABLE. 

H.vnk. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

Hank.  1  Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

Hank. 
1.56 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

.50 

.7071 

.88 

1.03 

1.014 

1.26 

1.248 

1.55 

.51 

.7141 

.89 

1.04 

1.019 

1.26 

157 

1.252 

1.55 

.52 

.7211 

.89 

1.05 

1.024 

1.27 

1.58 

1.2.56 

1.56 

.53 

.7280 

.90 

1.06 

1.029 

1.28 

1.59 

1.260 

1.56 

.54 

.7348 

.91 

1.07 

1.034 

1.28 

1.60 

1.264 

1.57 

.55 

.7416 

.92 

1.08 

1.039 

1.29 

1.61 

1.268 

1.57 

.56 

.7483 

.93 

1.09 

1.044 

1.29 

1.62 

1.272 

1.57 

.57 

.7549 

.94 

1.10 

1.048 

1.30 

1.63 

1.276 

1.58 

.58 

.7615 

.95 

1.11 

1.053 

1.31 

1.64 

1.280 

1.58 

.59 

.7681 

.95 

1.12 

1.058 

1.31 

1.65 

1.284 

1.59 

.60 

.7745 

.96 

1.13 

1.063 

1.32 

1.66 

1.288 

1.59 

.61 

.7810 

.97 

1.14 

1.067 

132 

1.67 

1.292 

1.60 

.62 

.7874 

.98 

1.15 

1.072 

1.33 

1.68 

1.296 

1.60 

.63 

.7937 

.98 

1.16 

1.077 

1.34 

1.69 

1.300 

1.61 

.64 

.8000 

.99 

1.17 

1.081 

1.34 

1.70 

1.303 

1.61 

.65 

.8062 

1.00 

1.18 

1.086 

1.35 

1.71 

1.307 

1.62 

.66 

.8124 

1.00 

1.19 

1.090 

1.35 

1.72 

1.311 

1.62 

.67 

.8185 

1.01 

1.20 

1.095 

1.36 

1.73 

1.315 

1.63 

.68 

.8246 

1.02 

1.21 

1.100 

1.36 

1.74 

1.319 

1.63 

.69 

.8306 

1.03 

1.22 

1.104 

1..37 

1.75 

1.322 

1.64 

.70 

.8366 

1.C4 

1.23 

1.109 

1.38 

176 

1.326 

1.64 

.71 

.8426 

1.04 

1.24 

1.113 

1.38 

1.77 

1.330 

1.65 

.72 

.8485 

1.05 

1.25 

1.118 

1.39 

1.78 

1.334 

1.65 

.73 

.8544 

1.06 

1.26 

1.122 

1.39 

1.79 

1.337 

1.65 

.74 

.8602 

1.07 

1.27 

1.126 

1.40 

1.80 

1.341 

1.66 

.75 

.8660 

1.07 

1.28 

1.131 

1.40 

1.81 

1.345 

1.66 

.76 

.8717 

1.08 

1.29 

1.135 

1.41 

1.82 

1.349 

1.67 

.77 

.8774 

1.09 

1.30 

1.140 

1.41 

1.83 

1.352 

1.67 

.78 

.8831 

1.10 

1.31 

1.144 

1.42 

1.84 

1.356 

1.68 

.79 

.8888 

1.10 

1.32 

1.148 

1.42 

1.85 

1.360 

1.68 

.80 

.8944 

1.11 

1.33 

1.153 

1.43 

1.86 

1.363 

1.69 

.81 

.9000 

1.12 

1.34 

1.157 

1.43 

1.87 

1.367 

1.69 

.82 

.9055 

1.12 

1.35 

1.161 

1.44 

1.88 

1.371 

1.70 

.83 

.9110 

1.13 

1.36 

1.166 

1.44 

1.89 

1.374 

1.70 

.84 

.9165 

1.14 

1.37 

1.170 

1.45 

1.90 

1.378 

1.71 

.85 

.9219 

1.14 

1.38 

1.174 

1.45 

L91 

1.382 

1.71 

.86 

.9273 

1.15 

1.39 

1.178 

1.46 

1.92 

1.385 

1.71 

.87 

.9327 

1.16 

1.40 

1.183 

1.40 

1.93 

1..389 

1.72 

.8S 

.i<380 

1.16 

1.41 

1.187 

1.47 

1.94 

1.392 

1.72 

.89 

.9433 

1.17 

1.42 

1.191 

1.47 

1.95 

1..3U6 

1.73 

.90 

.9486 

1.18 

1.43 

1.195 

1.48 

1.96 

1.400 

1.73 

.91 

.9539 

1.18 

1.44 

1.200 

1.48 

1.97 

1.403 

1.74 

.92 

.9591 

1.19, 

1.45 

1.204 

1.49 

1.98 

1.407 

1.74 

.93 

.9643 

1.20 

1.46 

1.208 

1.49 

1.99 

1.410 

1.75 

.94 

.9695 

1.20 

1.47 

1.212 

1.50 

2.00 

1.414 

1.75 

.95 

.9746 

1.21 

1.48 

1.216 

1.50 

2.01 

1.417 

1.76 

.96 

.9797 

1.21 

1.49 

1.220 

1.51 

2-02 

1.421 

1.76 

.97 

.9848 

1.22 

1.50 

1.224 

1.51 

2.03 

1.424 

1.76 

.98 

.9899 

1.22 

1.51 

1.228 

1.52 

2.04 

1.428 

1.77 

.99 

.9949 

1.23 

1.52 

1.232 

1.53 

2.05 

1.431 

1.77 

1.00 

1.000 

1.24 

1.53 

1.236 

1.54 

2.06 

1.435 

1.78 

1.01 

1.004 

1.24 

1.54 

1.240 

1.54 

2.07 

1.438 

1.78 

1.02 

1.009 

1.25 

1.55 

1.244 

1.54 

2.08 

1.442 

1.79 

WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.    125 


TWIST  TABLE— Continued. 


Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

Hank. 

Sq.  Root. 

Twist. 

Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

2.09 

1.445 

1.79 

3.06 

1.749 

2.17 

4.69 

2.165 

2.68 

2.10 

1.449 

1.80 

3.09 

1.757 

2.18 

4.72 

2.172 

2.69 

2.11 

1.452 

1.80 

3.12 

1.766 

2.19 

4.75 

2.179 

2.70 

2.12 

1.4.56 

1.80 

3.15 

1.774 

2.20 

4.78 

2.186 

2.71 

2.13 

1.81 

3.18 

1.783 

2.21 

4.81 

2.193 

2.72 

2.14 

1.462 

1.81 

3.21 

1.791 

2.22 

4.84 

2.200 

2.73 

2.15 

1.466 

1.82 

3.24 

1.800 

2.23 

4.87 

2.206 

2.74 

2.16 

1.469 

1.82 

3.27 

1.808 

2.24 

4.90 

2.213 

2.74 

2.17 

1.473 

1.83 

3:30 

1.816 

2.25 

4.94 

2.222 

2.75 

2.18 

1.476 

1.83 

3.33 

1.824 

2.26 

4.97 

2.229 

2.76 

2.10 

1.479 

1.83 

3.36 

1.833 

2.27 

5.00 

2.236 

2.77 

2.20 

1.483 

1.84 

3.39 

1.841 

2.28 

5.04 

2.244 

2.78 

2.22 

1.489 

1.85 

3.42 

1.849 

2.29 

5.08 

2.253 

2.79 

2.24 

1.496 

1.85 

3.45 

1.857 

2.30 

5.12 

2.262 

2.80 

2.26 

1.503 

1.86 

3.48 

1.865 

2.31 

5.16 

2.271 

2.81 

2.28 

1.509 

1.87 

3.51 

1.873 

2.32 

5.20 

2.280 

2.82 

2.30 

1.516^ 

1.88 

3.54 

1.881 

2.33 

5  24 

2.286 

2.83 

2.32 

1.523 

1.89 

3.57 

1.889 

2.34 

5.28 

2.297 

2.84 

2.34 

1.529 

1.90 

3.60 

1.897 

2.35 

5.32 

2.306 

2.85 

2.36 

1.536 

1.90 

3.63 

1.905 

2.36 

5.36 

2.315 

2.86 

2.38 

1.542 

1.91 

3.66 

1.913 

2.37 

5.40 

2.323 

2.87 

2.40 

1.549 

1.92 

3.69 

1.920 

2.38 

5.44 

2.332 

2.88 

2.42 

1.555 

1.93 

3.72 

1.928 

2.39 

5.48 

2.3^0 

2.89 

2.44 

1.562 

1.94 

3.75 

1.936 

2.40 

5.52 

2.349 

2.90 

2.46 

1.568 

1.95 

3-78 

1.944 

2.41 

5.56 

2.357 

2.91 

2.48 

1.574 

1.95 

3.8I 

1.951 

2.42 

5.59 

2.364 

2.93 

2.50 

1.581 

1.96 

3-84 

1.959 

2.43 

5.62 

2.370 

2.94 

2.52 

1.587 

1.97 

3.87 

1.967 

2.44 

5.66 

2.379 

2.95 

2.54 

1.593 

1.98 

3  90 

1.974 

2.45 

5.70 

2.387 

2.96 

2.56 

1.600 

1.99 

3.93 

1.982 

2.46 

5.74 

2.395 

2.97 

2.58 

1.606 

1.99 

3-96 

1.989 

2.47 

5.78 

2.404 

2.98 

2.60 

1.612 

2.00 

3.99 

1.997 

2-48 

5.82 

2.412 

2.99 

2.62 

1.618 

2.01 

4.02 

2.004 

2-49 

5.86 

2.420 

3.00 

2.64 

1.624 

2.02 

4.05 

2.012 

2-50 

5.90 

2.428 

3.01 

2.66 

1.630 

2.03 

4.O8 

2.019 

2.51 

5.94 

2.437 

3.02 

2.68 

1.637 

2.03 

4.11 

2.027 

2.51 

5.98 

2.445 

3.03 

2.70 

1.643 

2.04 

4.14 

2.034 

2.52 

6.02 

2.453 

3.04 

2.72 

1.649 

2.04 

4.17 

2.042 

2.53 

6.06 

2.461 

3.05 

2.74 

1.655 

2.05 

4.20 

2.049 

2.54 

6.10 

2.469 

3.06 

2.76 

1.661 

2.05 

4.23 

2.056 

2.55 

6.14 

2.477 

3.07 

2.78 

1.667 

2.06 

4.26 

2.063 

2.56 

6.18 

2.485 

3.08 

2.80 

1.673 

2.07 

4.29 

2.071 

2.57 

6-22 

2'.493 

3.09 

2.82 

1.679 

2.08 

4.32 

2.078 

2.58 

6-26 

2.501 

3.10. 

2.84 

1.685 

2.09 

4.35 

2.085 

2.59 

6.30 

2.509 

3.11 

2.86 

1.691 

2.10 

4.38 

2.092 

2-60 

6.34 

2.517 

3.12 

2.88 

1.697 

2.10 

4.41 

2.100 

2.60 

6.38 

2.525 

3.13 

2.90 

1.702 

2.11 

4.44 

2.107 

2.61 

6.42 

2.533 

3.14 

2.92 

1.708 

2.12 

4.47 

2.114 

2.62 

6.46 

2.541 

3.15 

2.94 

1.714 

2.13 

4.50 

2.121 

2.63 

6.50 

2.549 

3.16 

2.96 

1.720 

2.14 

4.54 

2.130 

2.64 

6.54 

2.557 

3.17 

2.98 

1.726 

2.14 

4.58 

2.140 

2.65 

6.58 

2.565 

3.18 

3.00 

1.732 

2.15 

4.62 

2.149 

2.66 

6.62 

2.572 

3.19 

3.03 

1.740 

2.16 

4.66 

2.158 

2.67 

6.66 

2.580 

3.20 

11' 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


TWIST  TABLE— Continued. 


Hank. 

3q.Root. 

Twist. 

Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist, 

Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

6.70 

2.588 

3.21 

9.05 

3.008 

3.73 

11.73 

3.424 

4.25 

6.74 

2.  .596 

3.22 

9.10 

3.016 

3.74 

11.78 

3.432 

4.26 

6.78 

2. 60S 

3.23 

9.15 

3.024 

3.75 

11.83 

3.439 

4.27 

6.82 

2.611 

3.24 

9.20 

3.033 

3.76 

11.89 

3,448 

4.28 

6.86 

2.619 

3.25 

9.25 

a.  041 

3.77 

11.95 

3.456 

4.29 

6.92 

2.630 

3.26 

9.30 

3.049 

3.78 

12.00 

3.464 

4.30 

6.96 

2.638 

3.27 

9.35 

3.057 

3.79 

12.06 

3.472 

4.31 

7.00 

2.645 

3.28 

9.40 

3.065 

3.80 

12.12 

3.481 

4.32 

7.04 

2.653 

3.29 

9.45 

3.074 

3.81 

12.18 

3.489 

4.33 

7.08 

2.660 

3.30 

9.50 

3.082 

3.82 

12.24 

3.498 

4.34 

7.12 

2.668 

3.31 

9.55 

3.090 

3.83 

12.30 

3.507 

4.35 

7.16 

2.675 

3.32 

9.60 

3.098 

3.84 

li36 

3.515 

4.36 

7.20 

2.683 

3.33 

9.65 

3.106 

3.85 

12.42 

3.524 

4.37 

7.24 

2.690 

3.34 

9.70 

3.114 

3.86 

12.48 

3.532 

4.38 

7.28 

2.695 

3.35 

9.75 

3.122 

3.87 

12.54 

3..541 

4.39 

7.32 

2.705 

3.35 

9.80 

3.130 

3.88 

12.60 

3.549 

4.40 

7.86 

2.712 

3.36 

9.85 

3.138 

3.89 

12.66 

3  558 

4.41 

7.40 

2.720 

3.:i7 

9.90 

3.146 

3.90 

12.72 

3.566 

4.42 

7.44 

2.727 

3.38 

9.95 

3.154 

3.91 

12.78 

3.574 

4.43 

7.48 

2.7.34 

3.39 

10.00 

3.162 

3.92 

12.84 

3..583 

4.44 

7.52 

2.742 

3.40 

10.05 

3.170 

3.93 

12.90 

3.  .591 

4.45 

7.5() 

2.749 

3.41 

10.10 

3.178 

3.94 

12.96 

3.600 

4.46 

7.60 

2.756 

3.42 

10.15 

3.185 

3.95 

13.02 

3.608 

4.47 

7.65 

2.765 

3.43 

10^20 

3.193 

3.96 

13.08 

3.616 

4.48 

7.70 

2.774 

3.44 

10.25 

3.201 

3.97 

13.14 

3.624 

4.49 

7.75 

2.783 

3.45 

10.30 

3.209 

3.98 

13.20 

3  633 

4.50 

7.80 

2.792 

3.46 

10.35 

3.217 

3.99 

13.26 

3.641 

4.51 

7.85 

2.801 

3.47 

10.40 

3.224 

4.00 

13.32 

3.649 

4.52 

7.9(J 

2.810 

3.48 

10.45 

3.232 

4.01 

13.38 

3.657 

4.53 

7.95 

2.819 

3.49 

10.50 

3.240 

4.02 

13.45 

3.667 

4.54 

8.00 

2.828 

3.50 

10.  .55 

3.248 

4.03 

13.50 

3.674 

4.55 

8  04 

2.835 

3.51 

10.60 

3.255 

4.04 

13.55 

3.681 

4..06 

8.08 

2.842 

.3.52 

10.65 

3.263 

4.05 

13.60 

3.687 

4.57 

8.12 

2.849 

3..53 

10.70 

3.271 

4.06 

13.65 

3.694 

4.58 

8.16 

2.8.56 

3.54 

10.75 

3.278 

4.07 

13.71 

3.702 

4.59 

8.20 

2.863 

3  55 

10.80 

3.286 

4.08 

13.76 

3  709 

4.60 

8.25 

2.872 

3.56 

10.85 

3.293 

4.09 

13.82 

3.717 

4.61 

8.30 

2.880 

3.57 

10.90 

3..301 

4.10 

13.88 

3.725 

4.62 

8.35 

2.889 

3.58 

10.95 

3..309 

4.11 

13.94 

3.733 

4.63 

8.40 

2.898 

3.59 

11.00 

3.316 

4.11 

14.00 

3.741 

4.64 

8.45 

2.906 

3.60 

11.06 

3.325 

4.12 

14.06 

3.749 

4.65 

8.50 

2.915 

3.61 

11.12 

3.334 

4.13 

14.12 

3.757 

4.66 

8.54 

2.922 

3.62 

31.18 

3.343 

4.14 

14.18 

3.765 

4.67 

8.58 

2  929 

3.63 

11.23 

3.351 

4.15 

14.24 

3.773 

4.68 

8.62 

2.935 

3.64 

11.28 

3.358 

4.16 

14.30 

3.781 

4.69 

8.66 

2.942 

3.65 

11.33 

3.366 

4.17 

14.36 

3.789 

4.70 

8.70 

2.949 

3.66 

11.38 

3.373 

4.18 

14.42 

3.797 

4.71 

8.75 

2.958 

3.67 

11.43 

3.380 

4.19 

14.48 

3.805 

4.72 

8.80 

2.966 

3.68 

11.48 

3  388 

4.20 

14.54 

3.813 

4.73 

8.85 

2.974 

3.69 

11.53 

3.395 

4.21 

14.60 

3.820 

4.74 

8.90 

2.982 

3.70 

11.58 

3.402 

4.22 

14.66 

3.828 

4.75 

8.95 

2.901 

3.71 

11.63 

3.410 

4.23 

14.72 

3.836 

4.76 

9.00 

3.000 

3.72 

11.68 

3.417 

4.24 

14.78 

3.844 

4.77 

WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     127 


TWIST  TABLE— Continued. 


Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

Hank. 

Sq.  Root. 

Twist. 

14.84 

3.852 

4.78 

18.38 

4.287 

5..31 

22.24 

4.715 

5.84 

14.90 

3.860 

4.79 

18.45 

4.295 

5.32 

22.32 

4.724 

5.85 

14.96 

3.867 

4.80 

18.52 

4.303 

5.33 

22.40 

4.732 

5.86 

15.02 

3.875 

4.81 

18.59 

4.311 

5.34 

22.48 

4.741 

5.87 

15.09 

3.884 

4.82 

18.66 

4.319 

5.35 

22.55 

4.748 

5.88 

15.16 

3.893 

4.83 

18.73 

4.327 

5.36 

22.62 

4.756 

5.89 

15.23 

3.902 

4.84 

18.80 

4.335 

5.37 

22.68 

4.762 

5.90 

15.30 

3.911 

4.85 

18.87 

4.343 

5.38 

22.75 

4.769 

5.91 

15.37 

3.920 

4.86 

18.94 

4.352 

5.39 

22.82 

4.777 

5.92 

15.44 

3.929 

4.87 

19.00 

4.358 

5.40 

22.89 

4.784 

5.93 

15.51 

3.938 

4.88 

19.07 

4.366 

5.41 

22.96 

4.791 

5.94 

15.58 

3.947 

4.89 

19.14 

4.374 

5.42 

23.04 

4.800 

5.95 

15.65 

3.956 

4.90 

19.21 

4.382 

5.43 

23.10 

4.806 

5.96 

15.72 

3.964 

4.91 

19.28 

4.390 

5.44 

23.18 

4.814 

5.97 

15.78 

3.972 

4.92 

19.35 

4.399 

5.45 

23.26 

4.822 

5.98 

15.84 

3.979 

4.93 

19.42 

4.4U6 

5.46 

23.35 

4.832 

5.99 

15.90 

3.987 

4.94 

19.49 

4.414 

5.47 

23.44 

4.841 

6.00 

15.96 

3.994 

4.95 

19.56 

4.422 

5.48 

23.52 

4.847 

6.01 

16.00 

4.000 

4.96 

19.63 

4.430 

5.49 

23.61 

4.859 

6.02 

16.07 

4.008 

4.97 

19.70 

4.438 

5.50 

23.68 

4.866 

6.03 

16.13 

4.016 

4.98 

19.77 

4.446 

5-51 

23.76 

4.874 

6.04 

IQ.'ZO 

4.024 

4.99 

19.84 

4.454 

5.52 

23.84 

4.882 

6.05 

16.27 

4.033 

5.00 

19.91 

4.462 

5.53 

23.92 

4.890 

6.06 

16.34 

4.042 

5.01 

20.00 

4.472 

5-54 

24.00 

4.898 

6.07 

16.42 

4.052 

5.02 

20.10 

4.483 

5.55 

24.08 

4.907 

6.08 

16.50 

4.062 

5.03 

20.17 

4.491 

5..56 

24.16 

4-915 

6.09 

16.57 

4.070 

5.04 

20.21 

4.495 

5-57 

24.24 

4.923 

6.10 

16.64 

4.079 

5.05 

20.25 

4.500 

5.58 

2-1.32 

4.931 

6.11 

16.70 

4.086 

5.06 

20.32 

4.507 

5.59 

24.40 

4.939 

6.12 

16.75 

4.092 

5.07 

20.40 

4.516 

5.6O 

24.48 

4-943 

6.13 

16.81 

4.100 

5.08 

20.48 

4.525 

5-61 

24.57 

4.957 

6.14 

16.88 

4.108 

5.09 

20.56 

4.534 

5-62 

24.65 

4.965 

6.15 

16.94 

4.115 

5.10 

20.64 

4.543 

5-63 

24.73 

4.975 

6.16 

17.00 

4.123 

5.11 

20.75 

4.555 

5-64 

24.80 

4-979 

6.17 

17.07 

4.131 

5.12 

20.82 

4.562 

5-65 

24.b7 

4-986 

6.18 

17.14 

4.140 

5.13 

20.90 

4.571 

5-66 

24.94 

4-993 

6.19 

17.21 

4.148 

5.14 

20.98 

4.580 

5-67 

25.00 

5-000 

6.20 

17.28 

4.156 

5.15 

21.05 

4.588 

5-68 

25.10 

5-009 

6.21 

17.35 

4.165 

5.16 

21.12 

4.595 

5-69 

25.20 

5-019 

6.22 

17.42 

4.173 

5.17 

21.20 

4.604 

5*7J 

25.27 

5-026 

6.23 

17.49 

4.182 

5.18 

21.25 

4.610 

5-71 

25.34 

5-033 

6.24 

17.56 

4.190 

5.19 

21.32 

4.617 

5-72 

25.42 

5-041 

6.25 

17.63 

4.198 

5.20 

21.40 

4.626 

5.73 

25.50 

5-049 

6.26 

17.70 

4.207 

5.21 

21.47 

4.633 

5-74 

25.60 

5-059 

6.27 

17.77 

4.215 

5.22 

21.55 

4.642 

5-75 

25.68 

5-067 

6.28 

17.84 

4.223 

5.23 

21.62 

4.649 

5-76 

25.75 

5-074 

6.29 

17.91 

4.232 

5.24 

21-70 

4.658 

5-77 

25.82 

5-081 

6.30 

17.97 

4.289 

5.25 

21.77 

4.665 

5-78 

25.91 

5-090 

6.31 

18.03 

4.246 

5.26 

21.84 

4.673 

5-79 

26.00 

5-099 

6.32 

18.10 

4.254 

5.27 

21.90 

4.679 

5-80 

26.10 

5-108 

6.33 

18.17 

4.262 

5.28 

22.00 

4.690 

5-81 

26.18 

5-116 

6.34 

18.24 

4.270 

5.29 

22.08 

4.698 

5-82 

26.25 

5-123 

6.35 

18.31 

4.279 

5.30 

22.16 

4.707 

5.83 

26.33 

5-131 

6.36 

128    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


TWIST  TABLE— Continued. 


Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

Hauk. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

Hank. 

Sq.Root. 

Twist. 

26.40 

5.138 

6.37 

28.70 

5.357 

6.64 

31.40 

5.603 

6.95 

26.48 

5.145 

6.38 

28.80 

5.366 

6.65 

31.50 

5.612 

6.96 

26.58 

5.155 

6.39 

28.90 

5.375 

6.66 

31.60 

5.621 

6.97 

26.64 

5.161 

6.40 

29.(0 

5.385 

6.67 

31.70 

5.629 

6.98 

26.75 

5.173 

6.41 

29.10 

5.394 

6.69 

3L80 

5.639 

6.99 

26.83 

5.179 

6.42 

29.20 

5.403 

6.70 

31.90 

5.648 

7.00 

26.92 

5.183 

6.43 

29.30 

5.413 

6.71 

32.00 

5.656 

7.01 

27.00 

5.196 

6.44 

29.40 

5.422 

6.72 

32.10 

5.665 

7.02 

27.08 

5.203 

6.45 

29.50 

5.431 

6.73 

.32.20 

5.674 

7.03 

27.16 

5.211 

6.46 

29.60 

5.440 

6.74 

32.30 

5.683 

7.04 

27.25 

5.220 

6.47 

29.70 

5.449 

6.75 

32.40 

5.692 

7.05 

27.33 

5.227 

6.48 

29.80 

5.458 

6.76 

32.50 

5.700 

7.06 

27.41 

5.235 

6.49 

29.90 

5.467 

6.78 

32.60 

5.709 

7.07 

27.50 

5.244 

6.50 

30.00 

5.477 

6.79 

32.70 

5.718 

7.09 

27.60 

5.253 

6.51 

30.10 

5.486 

6.80 

32.80 

5.727 

7.10 

27.67 

'5.260 

6.52 

30.20 

5.495 

6.81 

32.90 

5.736 

7.11 

27.75 

5.267 

6.53 

.30.30 

5.504 

6.82 

33.00 

5.744 

7.12 

27.84 

5.276 

6.54 

30.40 

5.513 

6.83 

.33.10 

5.753 

7.13 

27.92 

5.283 

6.55 

30.50 

5.522 

6.85 

33.20 

5.761 

7.14 

28.00 

5.291 

6  56 

30.60 

5.531 

6.86 

33.30 

5.770 

7.15 

28.10 

5.300 

6.57 

30.70 

5.540 

6.87 

33.40 

5.779 

7.16 

28.20 

5.310 

6.58 

30.80 

5.549 

6.88 

.33.50 

5.787 

7.17 

28.25 

5.315 

6.59 

30.90 

5.558 

6.89 

33.60 

5.796 

7.18 

28.33 

5.322 

6.60 

3L00 

5.567 

6.90 

33.70 

5.805 

8.19 

28.40 

5.329 

6.61 

31.10 

5.576 

6.91 

33.80 

5.814 

8.20 

28.50 

5.335 

6.62 

31.20 

5.585 

6.92 

33.90 

5.822 

8.21 

28.60 

5.347 

6.63 

31.30 

5.595 

6.94 

34.00  1  5.8.30 

8.23 

EXPLANATION  OF  TWIST  TABLE. 

(See  remarks  on  twist  in  Chapter  V.)  This 
table  is  calculated  for  the  twist  of  roving  on  the 
Low^ell  speeder ;  though  it  may  be  used  for  other 
frames.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  multiplier 
used  is  1.24  (see  twist  of  one  hank).  It  will  also 
be  noticed  that  the  square  root  of  the  hank  is 
worked  out  at  each  interval ;  so  the  table  will  be 
of  use  to  all  classes  and  "  creeds  "  of  twist.  All 
that  is  necessary,  after  ascertaining  the  hank,  is 
to  look  on  the  table  for  the  square  root  of  that 
particular  hank,  and  then  multiply  it  by  any  num- 
ber that  may  be  thought  right.  In  this  way  any 
carder  can  be  suited  and  gratify  his  ow^n  taste  in 
this  particular.     The  writer  uses  1.20  for  slubbers 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION.     129 


and  fly  frames,  and  1.24  for  the  Lowell  speeder, 
and  1.18  for  the  old  soft  work. 

The  manner  of  preparing  this  table  was  the  fol- 
lowing :  Take  4.h  hank,  for  an  example,  written 
dceimally,  and  extract  the  square  root,  thus : 

2)4.50(2.121 
4 

41)50 
41 


422)900 
.844 


4241)5600 
4241 

1359 


We  find  by  this  operation  that  the  square  root 
of  4.50  is  2.121 ;  and  by  multiplying  2.121  by 
1.24,  we  find  the  twist  should  be  2.63  per  inch. 

2.121 
1.24 

8484 
4242 
2121 

2.63004 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  we  can  always  find 
gears  that  will  give  us  exactly  the  amount  of  twist 
we  may  desire ;  then  take  the  gear  that  comes 
nearest  as  the  best  that  can  be  done. 

RULE    TO    FIND    TWIST. 

First,  find  the  number  of  revolutions  of  front 
roll ;  second,  its  diameter ;  third,  its  circumference ; 
fourth,  multiply  the  revolutions  of  front  roll  by 
the  circumference,  and  that  gives  the  number  of 


130    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

inches  delivered  per  minute;  fifth,  find  the  number 
of  revolutions  of  flyer;  sixth,  divide  the  inches 
delivered  into  revolutions  of  flyer,  and  the  quotient 
will  be  the  twist. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  the  front  roll  make  120  revolutions  per 
minute,  and  its  diameter  is  li  inches  (written  1.12). 

3.1416 
112 

62832 
31416 
31416 

3.518592 

We  find  the  circumference  to  be  3.518592 — or,  as 
we  should  write  it,  3.52  inches.  The  revolutions 
of  front  roll  120: 

3.52 
120 


7040 
352 


422.40 

So  we  find  that  the  front  roller  delivers  422.40 
inches  per  minute.  We  will  suppose  the  flyers 
run  1125  per  minute. 

422.40)1125.00(2.66 
84480 

280200 
253440 


267600 
253440 


14160 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     131 

We  find  in  this  case  that  the  twist  of  a  frame 
of  the  above  arrangement  would  be  2.66  per  inch. 

It  is  probably  known  to  carders  generally  that 
the  twist  gear  in  a  slubber  or  fly  frame  is  a  driver, 
and  in  the  Lowell  speeder  and  some  others,  the 
twist  gear  is  a  driven.  In  the  former  more  twist 
requires  a  smaller  gear,  in  the  latter  a  larger  one. 

The  author  has  had  it  in  mind  to  insert  a  table 
of  diameter,  area  and  circumference  of  circles,  in 
this  volume ;  but  as  there  are  so  many  such  tables 
in  existence,  it  is  hardly  advisable  to  do  so,  per- 
haps, but  he  will  give  the  rules  for  obtaining  them. 

To  find  the  circumference  of  a  circle  when  the  di- 
ameter is  given,  multiply  the  diameter  by  3.1416, 
and  the  product  will  be  the  circumference.  To 
find  the  diameter  when  the  circumference  is  given, 
reverse  the  operation.  To  find  the  area  of  a  circle, 
square  the  diameter  (that  is,  multiply  it  into  itself), 
and  multiply  that  product  by  the  decimal  .7854', 
and  the  product  will  be  the  area.  To  find  an 
equal  square  side  of  a  circle,  take  the  square  root 
of  the  area.  To  find  the  cubical  contents  of  a 
round  ball,  cube  the  diameter  (that  is,  multiply  it 
into  itself  twice :  suppose  the  diameter  is  4  inches, 
then  4X4=^16,  and  16X4=64),  and  multiply  that 
product  by  the  decimal  .5236,  and  that  product 
will  be  the  solid  contents  of  the  ball. 


132    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


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WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     133 


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12 


134    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


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WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     135 


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136    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEES'  COMPANION. 

EXPLANATION  OF  HYGROMETER   TABLE. 

This  table  is  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
double-bulb  thermometer,  or  hygrometer  as  such 
an  instrument  is  called.  When  one  bulb  is  kept 
wet,  and  the  other  dry,  the  dryness  or  dampness 
is  indicated  by  the  number  of  degrees  between  the 
two  thermometers.  The  drier  the  atmosphere,  the 
greater  the  difference  between  the  two  ;  the  damper 
the  atmosphere,  the  less  difference  there  will  be 
between  the  two.  When  they  stand  alike,  then 
the  air  is  perfectly  saturated  and  begins  to  drop 
its  load  of  moisture,  which,  however,  does  not 
often  take  place  in-doors  unless  the  building  leaks. 
The  use  of  this  instrument  and  table  in  a  carding- 
room  is,  to  enable  the  carder  to  govern*  his  weight 
according  to  the  condition  of  the  atmosphere. 
Cotton  absorbs  about  five  per  cent,  of  its  own 
weight  in  moisture  when  the  air  is  very  damp,  and 
when  the  air  is  very  dry  it  absorbs  little  or  none. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  from  the  above  that  vari- 
ations in  weight  of  roving  must  be  made  to  cor- 
respond to  variations  of  the  atmosphere  in  the 
room.  If  it  is  made  to  weigh  no  more  when  it  has 
two  or  thrQe  per  cent,  of  water  in  it,  than  it  does 
when  dry,  as  a  matter  of  course  when  the  yarn 
from  such  roving  becomes  dry  it  will  be  too  light, 
and  the  cloth  too  light. 

The  author  has  had  some  knowledge  of  hygro- 
meters of  different  kinds,  and  of  hygrometer  tables, 
for  some  years  past ;  but  there  was  a  long  time  he 
did  not  understand  what  was  meant  by  the  terms 
60,  60,  or  70  per  cent,  of  water  in  the  air.  He 
could  read  thermometers  and  tables,  and  tell,  as 
accurately  as  any  other  man  could  tell,  what 
amount  of  moisture  there  was  in  the  air  at  any 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.    137 

time,  if  he  had  the  instrument  and  table  to  read 
from;  but  he  did  not  understand  the  subject. 
Some  years  ago  he  wrote  to  a  gentleman  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  for  some  instructions  in  table  work. 
In  reply  he  received  ^ome  documents  which  gave 
the  desired  information,  and  from  these  documents 
he  learned  how  to  make  a  table,  and  was  enabled 
to  understand  it.  Among  the  above-mentioned 
documents  was  a  "Table  of  Quantity,"  showing 
the  weight  in  grains  of  a  cubic  foot  of  vapor  at 
different  temperatures  from  0^  to  95^  Fahrenheit ; 
also,  a  table  of  corrections,  and  rules  for  calculat- 
ing a  table.  The  author  wrote  to  the  same  gentle- 
man a  few  weeks  since,  asking  the  privilege  of 
introducing  those  tables  in  this  work,  but  has  re- 
ceived no  answer,  and  therefore  they  are  omitted. 
He  does  not  feel  at  liberty  to  copy  other  men's 
productions  without  permission.  He  does,  however, 
feel  at  liberty  to  give  the  plan  on  which  this  table 
was  made. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  this  table  is  exactly  ac- 
curate. It  is  not  brought  down  so  fine  as  would 
probably  be  required  for  very  nice  experiments. 
It  is  claimed  by  most  meteorologists  that  there  are 
two  degrees  of  absolute  dryness  to  one .  observed  ; 
that  is,  when  the  two  thermometers  are  one  degree 
apart,  it  is  said  that  there  exist  two  degrees  of 
absolute  dryness.  Some  even  make  a  little  addi- 
tion to  that,  and  multiply  the  degrees  observed  by 
two  and  a  small  decimal  for  the  absolute  dryness. 
The  figures  on  the  left  of  double  columns,  desig- 
nated by  an  asterisk  (*),  are  for  the  dry-bulb  ther- 
mometer ;  the  columns  marked  o  are  for  the  wet- 
bulb  thermometer ;  the  columns  marked  p.  c.  denote 
the  percentage  of  moisture  in  the  air. 


12* 


138    WILSOIS^'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 
EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  the  dry-bulb  thermometer  stands  at  76^, 
and  the  wet  at  70^ ;  we  follow  down  the  column 
marked  o  until  we  come  to  70^,  and  exactly  op- 
posite in  the  column  marked  p.  c.  we  find  67  per 
cent.  The  figures  at  the  top  of  double  columns 
(whole  and  mixed  numbers)  denote  the  number  of 
grains  of  water  a  cubic  foot  of  air  will  hold  at 
that  particular  temperature  (dry-bulb). 

THE    WAY    IT    WAS    MADE. 

In  the  above  example,  76^  dry,  70^  wet,  differ- 
ence observed  6^.  In  this  case  6^X2.16=13^ 
(nearly);  76^-13^=^63^  and  we  find  the  air  at 
a  temperature  of  76^  will  hold  10  grains  of  water, 
and  at  63^  it  holds  6.75  grains.  Then,  by  the 
rule  of  percentage,  we  divide  : 

10.)  6.75  (.67 
60^ 

'      75 
70 

5 

We  find  we  have  67  per  cent,  of  water  in  the 
air;  that  is,  67  per  cent,  of  10  grains — what  it  is 
capable  of  holding  at  a  temperature  of  76^.  The 
wet-bulb  thermometer,  or  its  readings,  is  called 
"  the  dew  point "  ;  and  when  they  both  stand  alike 
there  is  a- hundred  per  cent,  of  water  in  the  air,  or 
in  other  words  it  is  full,  and  rain  begins  to  fall. 

Several  firms  in  Boston  and  some  in  Philadel- 
phia make  hygrometers ;  and  Charles  Wilder,  of 
Peterboro',  N.  H.,  makes  splendid  instruments  of 
this  kind — beautiful  in  appearance,  that  can  be 
relied  on  for  accuracy..  The  fountains  should  be 
filled  with  soft  water  that  has  been  boiled ;  the 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     139 

lace  or  silk  which  covers  the  bulb  of  the  wet  ther- 
mometer, as  well  as  the  wick  that  supplies  it  with 
water,  should  be  changed  occasionally.  When  there 
are  only  two  or  three  degrees  difference  between  the 
two  thermometers,  it  is  safe  to  allow  one  grain 
extra  in  twenty-five,  in  the  weight  of  roving.  The 
hygrometers  seldom  show  less  than  50  per  cent,  of 
water  in  the  air  in-doors.  Dry-bulb  thermometer 
70^  and  wet  63^  or  64^  are  the  best  conditions 
for  carding.  The  variations  out  doors  are  much 
more;  it  is  interesting  to  watch  them.  Almost 
any  man  of  ordinary  intelligence,  with  one  of 
these  instruments,  a  barometer  and  vane,  could 
with  a  little  care  and  attention  soon  become  quite 
a  respectable  ''  Prob." 


140    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPxVNION. 


TABLE 

TO    ASCERTAIN   THE  LENGTH   OF    BELTING   IN  A    ROLL,  THE 
INSIDE  COIL  SUPPOSED  TO  BE  1^  INCHES  DIAMETER. 


Coils. 

Feet. 

Inches, 

Coils. 

Feet. 

luches. 

Coils. 

Feet. 

Inches, 

1 

5 

35 

91 

7 

69 

334 

1 

2 

11 

36 

96 

7 

70 

343 

6 

3 

1 

7 

37 

101 

8 

71 

353 

1 

4 

2 

4 

38 

106 

11 

72 

362 

9 

5 

3 

3 

39 

112 

4 

73 

372 

7 

6 

4 

4 

40 

117 

10 

74 

382 

6 

7 

5 

6 

41 

123 

5 

75 

392 

7 

8 

6 

10 

42 

129 

2 

76 

402 

9 

9 

8 

3 

4;^ 

135 

1 

77 

413 

1 

10 

9 

10 

44 

141 

1 

78 

423 

7 

11 

11 

6 

45 

147 

3 

79 

434 

2 

12 

13 

4 

46 

153 

6 

80 

444 

11 

13 

•  15 

4 

47 

159 

11 

81 

455 

9 

14 

17 

5 

48 

166 

6 

82 

;  466 

9 

15 

19 

8 

49 

173 

2 

83 

477 

11 

16 

22 

0 

50 

180 

0 

84 

489 

2 

17 

24 

7 

61 

186 

11 

85 

500 

6 

18 

27 

1 

52 

194 

0 

86 

512 

0 

19 

29 

10 

53 

201 

2 

87 

523 

S 

20 

32 

9 

54 

208 

6 

8» 

535 

5 

21 

35 

9 

55 

216 

0 

89 

547 

4 

22 

38 

10 

56 

223 

7 

90 

559 

4 

23 

42 

2 

57 

231 

3 

91 

571 

6 

24 

45 

7 

58 

239 

2 

92 

583 

10 

25 

49 

1 

59 

247 

1 

93 

596 

3 

26 

52 

9 

60 

255 

3 

94 

608 

10 

27 

56 

6 

61 

263 

6 

95 

621 

6 

28 

60 

6 

62 

271 

10 

96 

634 

4 

29 

64 

6 

63 

280 

4 

97 

647 

4 

30 

68 

9 

64 

288 

11 

98 

660 

5 

31 

73 

0 

65 

297 

9 

99 

673 

7 

32 

77 

6 

66 

306 

7 

100 

686 

11 

33 

82 

1 

67 

315 

8 

34 

86 

9 

68 

324 

10 

'These  calculations  are  based  on  the  supposition 
that  the  average  thickness  of  the  belt  is  i  of  an 
inch.  If  it  is  more,  the  length  will  run  short  of 
what  the  table  indicates ;  if  less,  it  will  overrun. 
Count  the  coils,  measure  the  diameter  of  the  roll. 
If  the  number  of  coils  equal  two  to  the  inch,  then 
the  table  indicates  correctly.     If  there  are  more 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CAKDERS'  COMPANION.     141 

than  two  coils  to  an  inch  of  diameter,  the  feet  will 
overrun  what  the  table  says ;  if  less,  it  will  fall 
short. 

ILLUSTRATION    OF    TABLE. 

We  will  suppose  the  first,  or  inside,  coil  to  be  li 
inches  diameter,  the  circumference  4.71  inches, 
called  in  the  table  5  inches.  If  the  belt  is  i  of 
an  inch  in  thickness,  another  coil  would  make  the 
diameter  of  the  roll  2  inches ;  circumference  6.28 
+5=11  inches.  This  table  was  made  after  that 
manner.  Suppose  we  have  a  roll  of  belting  with 
60  coils,  and  the  diameter  of  the  roll  is  31  inches, 
then  there  is  255  feet  3  inches  in  the  roll.  It  is 
proper  to  remark  that  1  inch  in  diameter  is  always 
to  be  thrown  out  for  the  hole  in  the  centre  of  the 
roll. 


142    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


A  PERPETUAL   CALENDAR. 

The  author  has  thought  that  a  calendar  which 
could  be  used  year  after  year,  with  a  slight  mani- 
pulation, may  be  of  some  benefit  to  those  possess- 
ing it ;  and,  as  a  common  calendar  for  one  year  is 
of  no  use  after  that 'particular  year  has  passed,  and 
only  takes  the  room  that  might  be  put  to  some 
use,  he  has  concluded  to  place  the  appended  per- 
petual calendar  in  this  work,  or  one  which  may  be 
made  so  with  very  little  trouble. 


Saturday, 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

Sunday, 

2 

9 

1& 

23. 

30 

Monday, 

3 

10 

n 

24 

31 

Tuesday, 

4 

11 

18 

25 

Wednesday, 

5 

12 

19 

26 

Thursday, 

6 

13 

20 

27 

Friday, 

1 

14 

21 

28 

Sunday, 

1 

'    8     . 

15 

22 

29 

Monday, 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

Tuesday, 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

Wednesday, 

4 

11 

18 

25 

Thursday, 

5 

12 

19 

26 

Friday, 

6 

13 

20 

27 

Saturday, 

7 

14 

21 

28 

WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     143 


Monday, 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

Tuesday, 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

Wednesday, 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

Thursday, 

4 

11 

18 

25 

Friday, 

5 

12 

19 

26 

Saturday, 

6 

13 

20 

27 

Sunday, 

7 

14 

21 

28 

Tuesday, 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

Wednesday, 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

Thursday, 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

Friday, 

4 

11 

18 

25 

Saturday, 

5 

12 

19 

26 

Sunday, 

6 

13 

20 

27 

Monday, 

7 

14 

21 

28 

Wednesday, 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

Thursday, 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

Friday, 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

Saturday, 

4 

11 

18 

25 

Sunday, 

5 

12 

19 

26 

Monday, 

6 

13 

20 

27 

Tuesday, 

7 

14 

21 

28 

144    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANIOX. 


Thursday, 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

Friday, 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

Saturday, 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

Sunday, 

4 

11 

18 

25 

Monday, 

5 

12 

19 

26 

Tuesday, 

6 

13 

20 

27 

Wednesday, 

7 

14 

21 

28 

Friday, 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

Saturday, 

2 

■    9 

16 

23 

30 

Sunday, 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

Monday, 

4 

11 

18 

25 

Tuesday, 

5 

12 

19 

26 

Wednesday, 

6 

13 

20 

27 

Thursday, 

7 

14 

21 

28 

It  will  be  noticed  that  by  repeating  the  weekly 
table  seven  times,  we  have  the  day  that  each  month 
in  every  year  must  commence  on  for  all  time  to 
come ;  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  dot  the  day  that 
any  month  begins,  with  a  pencil,  to  have  a  calen- 
dar for  that  month.  The  operation  can  be  repeated 
during  life,  if  desired,  and  then  it  can  be  left  to 
posterity.  As  January,  1876,  commences  with 
Saturday,  this  calendar  begins  to  reckon  on  that 
day. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     145 

ADDRESS  TO  A  COTTON  CARDER. 

Friend  and  Brother  Carder  : 

Some  one,  who  was  probably  well  qualified  to 
judge,  has  had  sufficient  confidence  in  your  ability 
and  integrity  to  place  you  in  charge  of  a  very  im- 
portant department  in  cotton  manufacturing.  Your 
position  is  a  responsible  one.  There  is  committed 
to  your  care  a  large  amount  of  valuable  machinery 
and  stock,  and  the  preparation  of  material  for  the 
use  of  all  the  other  departments  in  your  mill. 
Upon  your  ability  and  faithfulness  depend  the 
financial  success  of  the  concern  for  which  you 
work,  the  comfort  of  hundreds  of  laboring  men, 
women  and  children,  and  the  satisfaction  of  thou- 
sands of  people  who  purchase  and  use  the  goods 
you  help  to  manufacture.  If  through  your  vigil- 
ance and  industry  your  machinery  is  all  in  good 
order,  everything  well  adapted  to  the  end  for 
which  it  was  made,  every  machine  and  part  of 
machine  doing  its  appropriate  work,  properly  at- 
tended, and  producing  good,  smooth,  even,  clean 
roving,  then  the  work  throughout  the  entire  mill 
will  run  well ;  spinners,  spoolers,  warpers,  dressers 
and  weavers  will  be  able  to  produce  good  work 
comfortably,  and  good,  nice  cloth  will  be  the  result. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  your  cards  are  dull,  if  your 
drawing  cuts  and  from  any  cause  does  not  draw 
evenly,  if  through  your  ignorance,  or  negligence, 
or  both,  your  machines  are  not  well  adapted  one 
to  another,  or  if  they  are  not  well  attended,  and 
as  a  result  your  roving  is  rough,  uneven  and  dirty ; 
then  spinners,  spoolers,  warpers,  dressers  and 
weavers  will  be  obliged  to  labor  hard  to  produce 
poor  work,  and  bad  cloth  will  be  the  result. — 
Weary   limbs,   aching   heads   and  hearts,  second 

13 


146    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

quality  of  cloth,  and  disappointed  hopes  of  owners, 
will  be  the  constant  mementos  of  your  inefficiency. 
How  to  avoid  the  latter  result,  and  how  to  secure 
the  former,  should  be  your  constant  study. 

An  old  and  successful  carder  was  once  asked 
what  was  the  secret  of  his  success,  and  what  course 
it  was  necessary  for  a  young  man  to  pursue,  in 
order  to  attain  to  a  high  degree  of  perfection  in 
this  art.  The  old  man's  reply  was — "Attend  to  it'' 
And  this  answer,  though  short,  is  very  comprehen- 
sive. This  trade  requires  the  close  application  of 
him  who  would  succeed  in  it.  Success  and  victory 
do  not  come  of  ease  and  carelessness,  but  from 
hard  study,  untiring  vigilance  and  constant  atten- 
tion. It  makes  no  difference  who  the  man  is,  what 
his  attainments  are,  what  his  natural  or  acquired 
ability  may  be,  or  what  his  qualifications  are. 
Hard  w^ork  and  close  attention  are  the  constant 
concomitants  of  this  vocation ;  they  cover  all  the 
ground  in  every  man's  experience. 

Have  you  a  good  reputation  as  a  carder  ?  Then 
they  are  necessary  for  yoii,  in  order  that  you  may 
retain  it;  for  a  love  of  ease  and  habits  of  careless- 
ness will  soon  rob  youof  it,  how^ever  high  you  may 
have  risen.  Are  you  a  young  man  without  a  rep- 
utation ?  Then  they  are  necessary  for  you,  that 
you  may  thereby  gain  one.  Did  you  take  some- 
body's old  room,  all  run  down,  or  did  you  take  a 
room  all  in  perfect  order,  or  did  you  start  one  ex- 
actly to  your  own  liking  ?  Are  your  tools  poor 
and  ill  adapted  to  the  place  they  are  in,  or  are 
they  all  nice,  exactly  as  you  would  have  them  ? 
Are  you  working  poor  stock,  or  is  it  good,  long 
staple,  and  clean  ?  Have  you  a  poor  and  unreli- 
able set  of  help,  or  are  they  the  best  m  the  coun- 
try, or  are  they  average  in  quality  ?  Is  your 
employer  strict,  hard  to  please,  sometimes  unrea- 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     147 

sonable,  or  is  he  loose  and  careless,  allowing  you 
to  do  as  you  please  ?  Are  your  associates  all  good 
men  who  understand  their  business,  or  are  they 
ignoramuses  who  don't  care  a  straw  which  way 
things  go  ?  Under  any  of  these  circumstances, 
keep  at  it  through  thick  and  thin  ;  industry,  per- 
severance, watchfulness  and  never-ceasing  applica- 
tion are  necessary  all  the  time ;  and,  what  is  more, 
these  are  sure  to  wMn,  sooner  or  later.  No  matter 
what  the  circumstances  or  surroundings  may  be, 
brains,  like  water,  may  be  disturbed  and  forced  up 
or  forced  down  out  of  their  natural  level,  by  tem- 
porary conditions,  but,  be  sure,  they  will  find  their 
own  level  in  time.  Clouds,  thick  and  black,  caused 
by  jealousy  and  hypocrisy,  may  for  a  while  cover 
up  talent,  truth  and  energy  ;  but  time  will  clear 
these  all  away,  so  that  they  will  shine  out  in  an 
unmistakable  manner,  while  the  opposite  will  go 
to  oblivion,  where  they  belong. 

Aim  to  be  a  better  carder  than  any  who  have 
preceded  you.  It  is  possible  for  you  to  be  so. 
Never  be  satisfied  with  present  attainments,  or 
think  for  a  moment  that  your  work  is  going  well 
enough  while  it  is  possible  for  you  to  make  it  go 
better.  Improve  every  opportunity  to  learn  ;  you 
may  learn  from  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  in 
early  morning,  at  noon  and  night ;  you  may  learn 
from  experience,  from  books,  and  from  men.  Make 
carding  cotton  your  principal  business,  though  it 
is  neither  necessary  nor  profitarble  to  confine  your- 
self to  that  alone.  Most  men  have  some  one 
business  in  which  they  excel,  and  other  arts  and 
sciences  are  made  auxiliary  thereto.  Few  men 
become  adepts  at  more  than  one  kind  of  business ; 
and  in  order  to  do  that  it  is  often  necessary  to 
make  many  other  things  contribute  something 
towards  that  one.     A  fair  education  in  the  com- 


148    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

mon  branches  is  indispensable  to  proficiency  in 
this  business,  and  a  tolerable  knowledge  of  natural 
philosophy,  mechanics,  chemistry,  meteorology, 
astronomy,  hydraulics  and  hydrostatics  would  be 
better  still.  Set  an  example  worthy  to  be  imitated 
by  your  help  in  promptness,  faithfulness,  fairness, 
neatness  and  industry.  Don't  be  a  loafer  yourself, 
and  have  no  loafers  about  you.  Be  civil  and  kind 
to  all,  and  especially  to  the  poor.  Be  the  helper 
of  the  helpless.  Have  good,  wholesome  rules  and 
regulations;  have  them  understood,  and  then  see 
that  they  are  enforced.  It  is  not  enough  for  you 
to  give  an  order;  it  is  your  business  to  see  that 
your  orders  are  executed.  Be  respectful  to  superi- 
ors, and  behave  in  such  a  manner  yourself  as  to 
be  worthy  of  respect  from  equals  and  inferiors. 
Yield  strict  obedience  to  your  employer  in  all 
things,  as  long  as  you  work  for  him.  No  matter 
how  much  you  think  you  know,  or  how  little  you 
think  he  knows.  If  you  and  he  don't  think  alike, 
it  is  your  place  to  yield,  and  his  to  direct.  You 
may  suggest  and  propose  in  a  proper  manner,  but 
don't  bore  him  with  your  peculiar  ideas,  when  you 
have  reason  to  think  they  are  distasteful  to  him. 
Let  your  works  praise  you.  One  thing  more — 
please  not  forget  it : 

"  Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should 
do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them."     (Matt. :  vii :  12.) 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEES'  COMPANION.     149 


WEIGHTS  OF  VARIOUS  ARTICLES. 

A  gallon  of  fresh  water  weighs  8  lbs.,  5f  oz. 

A  gallon  of  oil  weighs  7.45  lbs. 

A  gallon  of  vinegar  weighs  8.64  lbs. 

A  gallon  of  molasses  weighs  11  lbs. 

Cast-iron  weighs  per  cubic  foot,  451.68  lbs. 

Wrought-iron  weighs  per  cubic  foot,  486.13  lbs. 

Lead  weighs  per  cubic  foot,  708.75  lbs. 

A  cubic  inch  of  cast-iron  weighs  .2608  lb. 

A  cubic  inch  of  wrought-iron  weighs  .2807  lb. 

A  cubic  inch  of  lead  weighs  .4101  lb. 

To  ascertain  the  capacity  in  bushels  of  a  box, 
bin,  barrel  or  other  vessel  (dry  measure),  find  the 
cubic  inches,  and  divide  them  by  2150.42  ;  the 
quotient  is  the  bushels. 

•  To  find  the  capacity  in  gallons  of  any  vessel, 
find  the  cubic  inches,  and  divide  them  by  231  ; 
the  quotient  will  be  the  gallons. 

Water  is  at  its  greatest  density  at  39^  Fahren- 
heit.    It  expands  both  ways  from  this  point. 

Ice  is  one-ninth  more  bulky  than  water  at  the 
above  point,  and  steam  seventeen  hundred  times. 


13* 


150    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


RECEIPTS. 

How  to  make  glue  that  will  hold,  spread  well,  and 
keep  well :  Put  1  pound  of  good,  dry  glue  to  soak 
in  good  cider  vinegar  enough  to  cover  it ;  let  it 
soak  over  night.  In  the  morning  put  the  glue  pot 
heating  over  a  slow  fire  (sitting  in  a  kettle  of  water 
is  best).  When  it  is  pretty  well  melted,  put  in 
one  gill  of  molasses;  and  after  it  is  all  dissolved, 
put  in  100  grains  of  borax  and  100  grains  of  pul- i 
verized  chalk.  The  borax  will  melt,  and  the  chalV 
sink.     Thin  with  water  to  the  right  consistency. 

How  to  make  helt  cement:  Dissolve  fish  glu) 
(or,  as  some  call  it,  isinglass)  in  rum  and  water ^ 
half-and-half  It  dissolves  quickly,  is  ready  to  use\ 
as  soon  as  dissolved,  and  is  best  when  first  made. 
Make  no  more  at  any  time  than  is  wanted  for 
immediate  use. 

How  to  make  a  roll  varnish  for  top  rollers  that 
are  old  and  dry,  or  rough :  Mix  common  shellac 
and  raw  linseed  oil — two  parts  of  the  former  to 
one  of  the  latter.  Sand-paper  the  rolls  first,  and 
then  put  the  varnish  on  cold.  Rub  it  in  well  with 
a  piece  of  yarn  waste  or  a  piece  of  cloth. 

Another  nice  preparation  for  top  rollers  may  be 
made  of  gum  arable  and  gelatine,  half-and-half, 
dissolved  in  water  and  rubbed  on  with  the  finger. 
If  rollers  lap  up,  after  receiving  a  coat  of  shellac 
and  oil,  then  put  qn  a  little  of  this  last-named 
varnish,  and  they  will  be  all  right. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDEKS'  COMPANION.     151 


POWER. 

The  mechanical  powers  are  three  in  number,  ac- 
cording to  Haswell,  viz  :  the  lever,  the  inclined 
plane  and  the  pulley.  Carders  have  most  to  do 
with  the  lever,  as  that  kind  of  weight  is  commonly 
used  in  connection  with  most  machines.  To  find 
the  power,  when  the  longth  of  the  lever  and  the 
weight  are  known,  multiply  the  weight  by  the  dis- 
tance from  the  fulcrum,  and  divide  that  product 
by  the  distance  of  the  fulcrum  from  the  power. 

EXAMPLE. 

♦ 
A  drawing  weight  weighs  6  pounds.     It  hangs 
on  a  lever  6i  inches  from  the  fulcrum,  and  the  ful- 
crum is  Ih  inches  from  'the  power.    What  is  the 
power  on  the  rollers  ? 

6.50 
6 

1.50)  39.00  (26  lbs..  Ans. 
300 

900 
900 


152    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


RULE  TO  CALCULATE  DRAUGHT. 

A  few  remarks  on  draught  may  be  in  order  be- 
fore giving  the  rule  to  calculate  it,  as  wrong  ideas 
are  often  given  and  received  by  the  use  of  com- 
mon terms.  The  meaning  of  the  term  as  used  in 
connection  witii  machinery  for  carding  and  spin- 
ning cotton,  is  to  draw  out,  stretch  or  elongate  a 
sliver  of  cotton.  There  is  no  misunderstanding  of 
terms  when  we  say  a  draught  of  3,  4,  6,  7  or  7i. 
It  means  that  for  every  inch  that  a  frame  receives, 
it  delivers  3,  4,  6,  7  or  Ti  inches.  Misunderstand- 
ings occur  where  the  draught  is  less  than  1,  as 
when  we  say  a  draught  of  li  or  1^. 

If  a  machine  delivers  exactly  what  it  receives, 
of  course  there  is  no  draught  or  stretch  ;  but  ac- 
cording to  rule,  all  the  rolls  being  alike  in  diame- 
ter, and  all  the  gears,  drivers  and  drivens,  the  same 
figures  would  say  there  was  a  draught  of  I  be- 
cause the  drivens  would  contain  the  drivers  one 
time  exactly.  It  will  be  understood  by  a  careful 
study  of  this  subject,  and  especially  the  rule,  that 
one  is  in  all  cases  to  be  deducted  from  draught  as 
shown  by  figures ;  the  remainder  is  the  real 
draught  or  stretch ;  so  that  when  we  say  a  draught 
of  li,  li,  or  H,  it  is  really  a  draught  of  i,  i,  or  i 
The  author  makes  these  remarks  because  he  has 
been  puzzled  himself  over  these  very  things,  and 
he  has  never  seen  this  subject  referred  to  in  any 
work  on  cotton  manufacturing. 

The  place  to  begin  to  count  teeth,  and  take 
measures  for  calculating  the  draught  of  any  ma- 
chine, is  at  its  delivery,  and  work  back  to  the 
receiving  roll.  If  the  whole  draught  of  a  machine 
is  sought,  intermediate  rolls,  cylinders,  or  gears 
need  not  be  taken  into  account,  unless  they  are 
directly  connected  by  way  of  driving.     The  mid- 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     153 

die  rollers  of  a  drawing,  roving,  spinning  frame  or 
the  doffer  or  feed  rollers  of  a  card,  need  not  be 
reckoned,  unless  in  case  of  a  card  where  there  are 
no  calender  rollers;  in  that  case  the  doffer  is  the 
delivering  roller  and  must  be  so  reckoned.  We 
sometimes  find  a  gear  which  is  both  a  driver  and 
a  driven.  In  such  a  case  leave  it  out,  by  the  rule 
of  cancellation.  Call  the  gear  connected  with  the 
delivering  roll  the  first  driver  in  all  cases  (whether 
it  is  really  a  driver  or  a  driven  gear),  and  the  gear 
connected  with  the  receiving  roller  is  to  be  reck- 
oned as  the  last  driven  always. 

The  principle  of  draught  is,  to  run  a  sliver 
through  a  succession  of  rollers — each  pair,  or  set, 
as  it  advances,  running  a  little  faster  than  the  pre- 
ceding— so  that  the  rule  to  find  draught  is  based 
on  the  plan  of  an  increase  of  speed  of  rollers ;  and 
if  both  receiving  and  delivering  rollers  were  equal 
in  size,  the  question  would  amount  to  this :  How 
many  revolutions  does  this  delivering  roller  make 
to  the  receiving  roller  one  ?  But  as  there  is  most 
always  a  difference  in  size  between  the  receiving 
and  delivering  rollers,  the  question  actually  is : 
How  many  inches  are  delivered  for  one  received  ? 
And  the  difference  in  size  of  rollers  must  be  taken 
into  account. 

How  to  proceed  to  take  dravght.—  Y'w^i,  pick 
out  all  the  driving  gears,  beginning  as  directed 
above;  count  the  teeth  of  each,  and  place  the 
number  of  teeth,  or  the  diameter  in  inches  of  every 
gear,  or  pulley,  above  a  line,  thus : 

1st  driver,  44  teeth  ;  2nd,  50  ;  3rd,  diam.  receiving  roll  | 

1st  driven,  108     "    ;     "    77;     "        "    delivering    «  V- 

Second,  count  the  drivens  in  the  same  way,  and 
place  them  under  the  line.  We  suppose  in  this 
case  that  the  front  or  delivering  roller  is  li  inches, 


154    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

and  the  back  or  receiving  roller  is  H  inches,  which 
are  equal  to  I  and  V-  in  the  shape  of  an  improper 
fraction.  We  next  multiply  all  the  drivers  and 
the  diameter  of  the  receiving  roller  together : 
44X50X9=19,800.  Next  we  multiply  all  the 
drivens  and  the  diameter  of  the  delivering  roller 
together:  108X77X10=83,160.  Next  divide  the 
product  of  drivens  by  the  product  of  drivers  ;  the 
quotient  is  the  draught  sought. 

19800)83160(4.20 
79200 

39600 
39600 

We  may  sum  up  the  rule  as  follows : 

I.  Multiply  all  the  drivers  together,  and  that 
product  by  the  diameter  of  the  receiving  rolls. 

II.  Multiply  all  the  drivens  together,  and  that 
product  by  the  diameter  of  the  delivering  rolls. 

III.  Divide  the  product  of  the  drivens  by  the 
product  of  the  drivers ;  the  quotient  is  the  draught. 

Note. — If  the  frame  is  driven  by  pulleys  instead 
of  gears,  or  if  there  are  both  pulleys  and  gears, 
take  the  diameter  of  pulleys  in  inches  and  decimal 
parts  of  inches,  instead  of  teeth. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     155 


RULE  TO  CALCULATE  SPEED. 

The  principle  of  calculating  speed  is  the  same 
as  calculating  draught,  with  this  difference: — 
Draught  has  to  do  with  the  surface,  and  speed  only 
with  the  revolutions. 

The  speed  of  different  drums,  pulleys,  or  shaft- 
ing, is  in  proportion  to  the  diameter,  or  it  may  be 
calculated  after  that  manner.  Suppose  a  driving 
pulley  or  drum  is  two  feet  in  diameter,  and  it  drives 
a  drum  or  pulley  one  foot  in  diameter ;  then  the 
latter  makes  two  revolutions  to  the  former  one,  and 
so  of  a  succession  of  drums  or  pulleys,  no  matter 
how  many ;  so  that  a  succession  of  such,  or  the 
speed,  may  be  calculated  one  way  by  multiplica- 
tion, and  the  reverse  by  division.  Suppose  a  driv- 
ing pulley  or  drum  is  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  atid 
it  belts  on  to  a  pulley  five  feet  in  diameter,  and 
this  latter  shaft  contains  a  second  driving  pulley 
four  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter  and  belts  on  to  a 
driven  three  feet  in  diameter.  The  speed  of  the 
main  driver  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  revolutions 
per  minute.  What  would  be  the  speed  of  the  last 
mentioned  shaft  or  drum  ? 


Inches.  Inches. 

Ist(1nverr=rl44;  2nd  dnverr=54;  speed  of  main  driver,  150 

Inches.  Inches.  * 

1st  driven=60 ;     "    driven^86 

In  this  example  we  first  multiply  the  drivers  to- 
gether, and  that  product  by  the  speed  of  main 
driver.  Next  we  multiply  the  drivens  together, 
and  take  the  product  for  a  divisor  for  the  product 
of  the  drivers. 


156     WILSON'S  COTTOiN^  CARDEES'  COMPANION. 


144 
54 

36 
60 

576 
720 

2160 

7776 
150 

388800 
7776 

2160) 1166400  ( 
10800 

540 

8640 
8640 

00 

We  find  by  this  operation  that  the  speed  of  the 
last-named  drum  is  540  revolutions  per  minute. 
Now,  suppose  we  have  a  shaft  driven  in  the  man- 
ner described,  the  speed  of  which  is  540  revolu- 
tions per  minute,  and  we  wish  to  ascertain  the 
diameter  of  the  main  driver,  we  reverse  the  opera- 
tion: 21 60X540-=1166400- 140=7776-54=144 
inches. 

From  these  examples  and  illustrations  we  derive 
the  following  general  rules  for  calculating  speed : 

I.  Multiply  all  the  drivers  (diams.)  together, 
and  that  product  by  the  speed  of  the  main  driver. 

II.  Multiply  all  the  drivens  together. 

III.  Take  the  products  of  the  drivens  for  a  di- 
visor for  the  product  of  the  drivers ;  the  quotient 
will  be  the  speed  sought. 

Note.  With  gears  proceed  in  the  same  manner, 
counting  teeth  instead  of  taking  diameter. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     157 

TIME. 

Every  carder  should  take  note  of  time  as  it 
passes,  so  that  he  may  realize  how  fast  it  goes,  and 
act  with  promptness  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 
It  is  interesting,  if  not  profitable,  to  notice  its  divi- 
sions and  variations.  The  sun  is  the  great  source 
of  light ;  it  is  supposed  to  stand  still ;  but  the 
motion  of  the  earth  around  it  gives  us  four  sea- 
sons :  twelve  calendar  months,  fifty-two  weeks,  three 
hundred  sixty-five  and  a  fourth  days,  eight  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  sixty-six  hours,  five  hun- 
dred twenty-five  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty 
minutes,  thirty-one  million  five  hundred  fifty-seven 
thousand  and  six  hundred  seconds,  in  round  num- 
bers, in  a  year. 

The  average  length  of  sunlight  for  the  year  is 
not  far  from  twelve  hours  a  day,  though  the  ex- 
tremes go  as  high  as  fifteen  hours  and  sixteen  min- 
utes, and  as  low  as  nine  hours  and  three  minutes. 
We  have  clocks  and  watches  to  keep  time,  and  ar- 
tificial light  to  help  equalize  the  days  ;  but  the 
sun  and  the  motions  of  the  earth  during  the  year 
are  the  great  regulators.  When  the  sun  is  south 
we  call  it  noon,  but  scientific  men  have  discovered 
a  little  variation  here,  and  fortunately  for  us,  they 
have  told  how  much,  and  how  we  may  keep  regular 
time  during  these  variations.  T\\e  author  has  come 
upon  a  nice  little  table  in  a  certain  work  which 
gives  the  exact  time,  by  the  clock,  when  the  shadow 
is  at  the  noon  mark,  for  every  day  in  the  year.  He 
wrote  to  the  proper  persons  and  asked  liberty  to 
make  an  extract  from  their  table,  but  having  re- 
ceived no  answer,  he  will  make  a  little  calculation 
by  the  Old  Farmers'  Almanac,  showing  what  time 
it  is,  or  should  be,  by  the  clock  when  the  sun 
reaches  the  noon  mark,  not  for  every  day  in  the 

14 


158    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

year,  but  often  enough  to  enable  us  to  regulate  a 
clock.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  sun  is  south  four 
days  in  the  year  only,  viz:  April  15th,  June  ISth, 
September  2nd  and  December  24th. 

A  reference  to  the  following  table  will  show 
what  time  it  should  be  when  the  sun  reaches  the 
noon  mark  on  the  following  days  in  the  year  : 

WHEN  THE  SUN  REACHES  THE  NOON  MARK. 


DATE. 

True  time,  M. 

DATE. 

True  time,  M. 

DATE. 

True  time,  M. 

DATE. 

True  time,M. 

Jan, 

H.  M 

April. 

H.   M. 

July. 

H.    M. 

Oct. 

H.    M. 

1 

12.04 

1 

12.04 

2 

12.04 

3 

11.49 

5 

12.06 

5 

12.03 

6 

12.05 

6 

11.48 

10 

■12.08 

10 

12.01 

14 

12.06 

10 

11.47 

15 

12.10 

15 

12.00 

15 

11.46 

20 

12.11 

20 

11.59 

Aug. 

20 

11.45 

25 

12.13 

25 

11.58 

7 

12.05 

25 

11.44 

30 

12.14 

30 

11.57 

15 

20 

12.04 
12.03 

Nov. 

Feb. 

May. 

25 

12.02 

13 

11.45 

5 

12.14 

5 

11.56 

29 

12.01 

20    . 

11.46 

20 

12.14 

23 

11.57 

25 

ir.47 

25 

12.13 

31 

11.58 

Sept. 

28 

11.48 

2 

12.00 

30 

11.49 

Mch. 

,Tune. 

4 

11.59 

1 

12.12 

7 

11.. 59 

7 

11..'8 

Bee. 

6 

12.11 

15 

12.00 

10 

11. .57 

3 

11.50 

10 

12.10 

21 

12.02 

12 

11.56 

5 

11.51 

15 

12.09 

28 

12.03 

15 

11.55 

10 

11.53 

20 

12.07 

18 

11.54 

15 

11.56 

25 

12.06 

22 

11.52 

20 

•  11.58 

25 

11.51 

22 

11.59 

29 

11.50 

24 

26 

28 

12.00 
12.01 
12.02 

To  make  a  noon  mark,  find  a  door  or  window 
frame  that  stands  perpendicular,  then  with  the  aid 
of  a  compass  strike  a  line  on  the  floor  due  north 
from  the  corner  where  the  sun  shines. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     15" 


In  response  to  a  circular  announcing  the  intentioi 
of  the  author  to  publish  the  Cotton  Carders 
Companion,  orders  were  received  from  the  fol 
lowing  individuals  and  firms : 


Adams,  Phiiielias,  Stark  Mills,  Manchester,  N.  H. 

Atkinson,  Edward,  Indian  Orchard  Mill,  Boston,  Mass. 

Atwood,  J.  S.,  Wauregan  Mills,  Wauregan,  Conn. 

Aspinwall,  M.,  Attawaugan  Mills,  Killingly,  Conn. 

Ainsworth,  Wm.  H.,  Wilmington  Cotton  Mills,  Wilmington,  N.  C 

Adams,  Charles  E.,  Lowell,  Mass. 


Battles,  F.  F.,  Massachusetts  Cotton  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Burke,  William  A.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Blaisdell,  Wm.  F.,^ Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Blaisdell,  C.  E.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Brown,  H.  H.,  Fisherville,  N.  H. 

Bailey,  C.  R.,  Waltham,  Mass. 

Boyden,  E.,  Prescott  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Bedlow,  George  W.,  Chicopee,  Mass. 

Bacon,  Francis  E.,  &  Co.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Burnham,  William  J.,  Lewiston,  Maine. 


Cumnock,  A.  G.,  Boott  Cotton  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Cheney,  J.  L.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Clark,  C.  Martin,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Chapin,  Samuel,  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills,  Lowell.  Mass. 

Cooledge,  F.  S.,  Lawrence  Manufacturing  Co.,  I^owell,  Mass. 

Call,  A.  F.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Conihe,  William,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Clough,  Henry,  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Clark,  Jeremiah,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Cumnock,  J.,  Great  Falls,  N.  H. 

Chase,  Jonathan,  Albion  Co.,  17  Exchange  St.,  Providence,  R.  I. 

Chandler,  Geo.  H.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass 

Carroll,  A.  H.,  Mont  Vernon  Mills,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Collins,  David  M.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Caverly,  Robert  B.,  Lowell,  Mass. 


160    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

Dupee,  James  A.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Dix,  Daniel,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Dickey,  A.  J.,  Manchester,  N.  H. 

Davis,  A.  A.,  Hamilton  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Davis,  S.  H.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Draper,  George,  &  Son,  Hopedale,  Mass. 

Davis,  E.  S.,  Lewiston,  Maine. 

Drew,  W.  S.,  Atlantic  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lawrence,  Mass. 

Davis,  Edgar  A.,  Nashua,  N.  H. 

Dyer,  D.  H.,  Wilmington  Cotton  Mills,  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

Donaldson,  R.  I.,  English  Manufacturing  Co.,  Columbia,  S.  C. 


Edwards,  Jabez,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Earle,  D.  D.,  Forestdale,  R.  I. 

Foss  &  Pevey,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Francis,  James,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Green,  Benjamin,  Cabot  Manufacturing  Co.,  Brunswick,  Maine. 
Green,  Amos,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Giles,  Melden,  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Gegenheimer,  E.  D.,  Taunton,  Mass. 
Greenleaf,  Nath'l,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Hinckley,  Isaac,  Philadelphia,  Penn. 

Howe,  J.  S.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Harding,  David  M.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Harper,  O.  M.,  Pittsburg,  Penn. 

Hardy  Machine  Company,  Biddeford,  Maine. 

Howard,  B.  B.,  Cordis  Mills,  Iklillbury,  Mass. 

Hill,  William  H.,  Dover,  N.  H. 

Hale,  F.  W.,  South  Berwick,  Maine. 

Haskins,  S.  W.,  Woonsocket,  R.  I. 

Hayden,  E.  B.,  Plymouth  W.  and  C.  Factory,  Plymouth,  Mass. 

Hard  wick,  Wm.,  Wilmington  Cotton  Mills,  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

Huse,  H.  E.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Jordan,  Charles  P.,  West  Boylston,  Mass. 

Kent,  Hervey,  Exeter,  N.  H. 

Kitson  Machine  Company,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Kimball,  L.  S.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Kimball,  H.  C,  Blackstone,  Mass. 

Kimball,  Wilson,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION.     161 

Ludlam,  J.  S.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Love  joy,  S.  A.,  Melrose,  Mass. 

Lowell  Card  Company,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Lyford,  A.  B.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Leonard,  James,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Libbey,  William  F.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Lowrie,  George  M.,  West  Boylston,  Mass. 

Lovering,  O.  W.,  Lyman  Mills,  Holyoke,  Mass. 

Leigh,  F.  A.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Lawry,  F.  B.,  Lewiston,  Maine. 

Moulton,  O.  H.,  Hamilton  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Maxfield,  J.  P.,  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Mason,  A.  A.,  Biddeford,  Maine. 

Mahoney,  J'eremiali,  Chicopee,  Mass. 

Maxfield,  R.  A.,  Nashua  Manufacturing  Co.,  Nashua,  N.  H. 

Moody,  George  A.,  West  Peterboro',  N.  H. 

McCrillis,  C.  H.,  Wait's  River,  Yt. 

Miles,  William  H.,  Lewiston,  Maine. 

Ober,  Oliver,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Palfrey,  J.  C,  Boston,  Mass. 
Putnam,  Frank  P.,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Pray,  Thomas,  Jr.,  Providence,  R.  I. 
Peach,  Charles  S.,  North  Adams,  Mass. 
Prest,  J.  E.,  Pownal,  Vt. 

Sawyer,  J.  H.,  Appleton  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Saunders,  Benjamin,  Yale  Mills,  Nashua,  N.  H. 

Stearns,  Charles,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Smith,  John  W.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Stiles,  W.  A.,  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Symonds,  Benjamin,  Boott  Cotton  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Straw,  E.  A.,  Amoskeag  Manufacturing  Co.,  Manchester,  N.  H. 

Saunders,  Francis,  Hamilton  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Stone,  William,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Slater,  A.  C,  Whitinsville,  Mass. 

Sweet,  Charles,  Jr.,  Attawaugan  Mills,  Killingly,  Conn. 

Sands,  B.,  Lewiston,  Maine. 

Spofford,  Chas.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Stevens,  William,  Lewiston,  Maine. 

Shaw,  Thomas  S.,  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Scribner,  George  F.,  Lowell  Machine  Shop,  Lowell,  Mass, 

Sargent,  J.  L.,  Lowell,  Mass. 


162    WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

Thyng,  C.  C,  Warren,  R.  I. 
Towne,  Jacob  A.,  Manchester,  N.  H. 
Thompson,  John  B.,  Salmon  Falls,  N.  H. 
True  worthy,  J.  B.,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Tripp,  John,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Whiting,  Phineas,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Wilder,  Charles,  Peterboro',  N.  H. 

Wright,  Wm.  A.,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Welch,  Willard  C,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Wood,  Horace  J.,  Fall  River,  Mass. 

Whitehead  &  Atherton,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Watson,  A.  B.,  Lewiston,  Maine. 

Whitney,  William  S.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Wattles,  T.  B.,  Chicopee  Falls,  Mass. 

Weeks,  George  W.,  Lancaster  Mills,  Clinton,  Mass. 

Wright,  Bliss  &  Faybian,  Boston,  Mass. 

Whitney,  William  H.  H.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Williston,  A.  L.,  Greenville  Manufacturing  Co.,  Florence,  Mass. 

Welch,  John  J.,  Wilmington  Cotton  Mills,  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

Winsor,  E.  M.,  Providence,  R.  I. 

West,  H.  F.,  Gloucester  City,  N.  J. 

Watson,  James,  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Co.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Cotton  Carders'  Companion  is  for  sale  by  Foster 
Wilson,  22  Merrimack  Corporation,  Lowell,  Mass. 
Sent  to  any  part  of  the  country,  post  paid,  on  re- 
ceipt of  price,  $1.75. 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


EDWARDS' 
IMPROVED   CONE   BELT   GUIDE. 


This  appendage  was  invented  and  applied  to  the  Lowell  Speeder  by  Mr. 
Jabez  Edwards,  but  is  equally  applicable  to  other  roving  frames.  The  de- 
sign is  to  change  the  position  of  the  belt  <>n  the  cones  and  at  the  same  time 
change  the  rate  of  let-oflf,  as  maybe  required  t'»  regulate  the  winding  of 
roving  to  any  kind  of  weather,  it  is  simple  in  its  construction,  durable, 
easily  managed,  operates  immediately,  and  can  be  changed  in  one-tenth  of 
the  time  it  takes  to  change  a  gear.  Mr.  Wilson  has  referred  to  it  in  his  chap- 
ter on  Speeders,  in  the  *'  Cotton  Carders'  Companion,"  and  has  given  some- 
thing of  a  description  of  it,  which  please  see.  The  attention  of  cotton  man- 
ufacturers and  machine  builders  is  invitf^d  to  it.  It  can  be  seen  in  use 
in.  the  carding  rooms  of  the  Merrimack  Manufacturing  Company,  and  the 
inventor  will  be  pleased  to  show  it,  and  explain  its  principles  to  anyone 
who  may  (avor  him  with  a  call,  or  he  will  answer  communications  with  ref- 
erence to  it.    Address, 

JABEZ  ED  WAMDS,  Lowell,  Mass. 


Under--Flat    Cotton    Card. 


ADVANTAGES  GAINED 

With  the  use  of  the  Uxder-Fi.at  Cotton  Card. 

40  per  cent,  of  labor, 

•*       floor  room, 

**       power, 

**       belts, 

•*       oil, 

**       clothing, 

FOSS  &  BEVEV, 

Howe  St.,  Lowell,  Mass, 


50 
50 
50 
50 
33 


Send  for  circular 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 

JEREMIAH   CLARK'S 

Machinery  Agency, 

For  the  Purchase,  Sale  and  Exchange  of 

All  Kinds  of  Machinery, 

New  and  Second- Hand. 

Has  on  hand  a  Large  Supply  of  Good  Second-hand 

Cotton  and  Woolen  Machinery, 

Netv  and  Second-Hand  Card  Clothing f  Belting ^ 

Bobbins,  Shuttles,  Loom  Pickers,  etc. 

Also,  Manufacturers* Supplies. 

106  and  108  Middle  Street,  Lowell,  Mass. 
.  L.  S.  KIMBALL, 

ROLL  COVERER, 

And  Manufacturer  of 

Leather  Loom  Pickers  and  Card  Leather  Belting. 

The  best  of  material  used  in  roll  covering.    All  orders  promptly  attended 

to,  personal  attention  given  to  work,  and  satisfaction 

guaranteed  in  all  cases. 

27  Shattuck  Street,       -       -       -       Loivell,  Mass. 

(Lowell  Card  Co.'s  Building.) 

LOWELL   CARD   COMPANY, 

Manufacturers  of 

CARD    CLOTHING 

OF  EVERY  DESCRIPTION, 

Set  in  Leather,  Jiubber,  and  English  and  American 
Card    Cloth. 

Particular  attention  given  to  NAPPING  CARDS,  and  Cards  designed 
for  Worsted  work.  The  best  of  stock  used,  and  satisfaction  guaranteed  in 
all  cases. 

127  Market  St.,  Loivell,  Mass. 
L.  L.  PERRIN,  President.  S.  S.  GOULD,  Treasurer, 


WILSON'S  COTTON  CARDERS'  COMPANION. 


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I-IATID^    MACI-IIlsrE    CO., 

Proprietors  ami  Manulactiirers  of  the  'ITardy"  Improved 

Traverse  Wheel  Card  Grinders, 

JPor  Grinding  Cotton,  Woolen,  Linen  or  Silk  Cards, 


This  cut  reprerents  '  Hardy's"  Improved  Grinder,  grinding  the  Doffer 
and  Main  Cylinder,  one  or  both,  at  the  same  time.  (With  adjustable  stands, 
complete.)  Over  5000  of  the?e  machines  are  in  constant  use.  Grinders  for 
Top-Flats,  Lickerins,  Worliers,  Strippers,  etc.,  1  to  4  at  one  time.  The  grind- 
ing wheel  passes  it-s  whole  wid'h  beyond  the  range  of  card  teeth  before  it 
changes,  thus  grinding  all  the  teeth  alike.  Al^o,  build  machines  for  grind- 
ing Shears  one  for  trueing  Dresser  Rolls,  and  a  machine  lor  trueing  Calen- 
der Rolls  without  removal  from  frame.  Also,  planer  knife  and  tool  grinder, 
to  grind  veneer  cutters,  curriers'  knives,  paper  cutters  or  any  long  knivee. 


The  above  cut  represents  our  machine  lor  grinding!  to  4  top-flats  at  one 
time,  with  cylinfler  brush  for  cleaning  out  the  teeth  before  grinding— done 
perfectly.    Patented  April  16, 18H7.    700  now  in  use. 

HARDY  MiCHIXE  CO.,  Biddeford,  Me. 

Chas.  Hardy,  Treas.  and  Agt. 


Foster  Wilson,  Jr., 

DEALER  IN 

GENTLEMEN'S 

HATS,  GLOVES, 

AND 

Furnishing  Goods. 


Hats  Made  to  Order 


AND 


Silk  Hats  made  Over. 


ON^E    PEICE   Ol^LY. 

m  Ceatsal  Street, 
LOWELL,     MASS. 


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Cotton  carders* 
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